Under a Mastic Tree (script)

This is an adaptation of a short story by the same name.


EST. CANADIAN PRAIRIES

FADE UP FROM BLACK:

The establishing shot opens to the Tom Waits tune Yesterday
Is Here, which plays throughout the opening sequence.

Much of the opening sequence is seen as if from a
crop-dusting biplane, moving quickly, swooping low, the view
not quite steady. The first shot moves long over abandoned
fields and ruined farms, harshly lit by the sunrise. It is a
cold, clear autumn morning.

DISSOLVE TO:

The view passes over what quickly becomes apparent is the
remnants of a tank battle, fought many years before. Several
dozen ruined tanks and support vehicles are seen, scattered
across the countryside.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. THE TANK BATTLEFIELD

Seen from the ground now, as if standing amid several of the
ruined tanks, a few closer by than others.

CUT TO:

A tight close-up of a tank, with soil on it and plants
growing upon it. After a moment, the view pans, and the
markings make it clear that the tank is Chinese.

DISSOLVE TO:

Another tank, this one with Canadian Army markings, with the
wind shaking the weeds growing on and around it.

DISSOLVE TO:

An overturned troop transport, bearing US Army markings.
Clearly, a large continental defencive battle was fought
here, many years before.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. OVER THE ASSINIBOINE RIVER

Return to the biplane shots, this one flying along the
Assiniboine River, with the sunlight dazzling the eyes.

The view lifts from the water. In the distance, a small city
can be seen hugging the river.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

As if from a slowly-moving vehicle on the crumbling asphalt.
Heading into the sunrise, with the broken pavement harshly
lit. It should be obvious that twenty or thirty years have
passed since the road was last properly maintained.

DISSOLVE TO:

A weather-beaten sign, fallen into the grass, barely
legible. It reads: WELCOME TO BRANDON, MANITOBA and boasts
that the city is the GEOGRAPHICAL CENTRE OF NORTH AMERICA,
and gives its population as 89,000. At the bottom is an
array of the logos of the city's service clubs.

CUT TO:

Another sign, still standing, black with white stencilled
lettering, reads: BRANDON REGIONAL SECURITY DISTRICT, and
under that PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS
COMMUNITY. The sign warns that: ALL PERSONS WITHOUT THE
RELEVANT IDENTIFICATION OR TRANSIT DOCUMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO
ARREST AND FINE AND/OR INDEFINITE DETENTION, as well as
RESISTANCE TO LAWFUL AUTHORITY MAY RESULT IN SUMMARY
JUSTICE.

CUT TO:

A view of a ruined farmhouse, with part of the upper floor
blown away, as if by a shell strike. The view holds on it
for a few moments, then pans to the view of the city, a mile
or two in the distance.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. OVERFLIGHT OF BRANDON

Return to the biplane shots, now flying over the City of
Brandon. Many buildings are destroyed, but the streets have
long since been cleared of debris. Newer-looking, but
obviously ad hoc, constructions can be seen where rubble has
been cleared. A few cars, trucks, and buses can be seen
moving about, suggesting that the city functions again, if
only marginally.

The view passes what seems to be the edge of town, heading
toward the sunrise.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. FIELD NEAR A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Seen from above, a large body of men are glimpsed in neat
rows, in a field north of the highway, all of them holding
objects of some kind.

DISSOLVE TO:

The highway, seen from ground level, about waist-height. Men
slowly pass the camera on either side, moving forward
slowly. They are carrying metal detectors, sweeping them
back and forth before them as they advance.

The song Yesterday Is Here ends.

CUT TO:

A shot of CAMERON as he stares down, wearing headphones and
sweeping the metal detector. The sound of the clicking he
hears is audible.

Cameron is seen moving forward slowly, trying to keep pace
with the other men as they clear the field. They sweep in
time, so that their detectors meet, assuring the entire
field is swept as they move forward.

A high-pitched whine begins and grows in volume. Cameron
suddenly whistles loudly to the others.

OVERSEER
(blows a whistle)
Halt the line!

Cameron swings the detector back and forth a few times,
getting a tab on exactly where the mine is. He crouches,
carefully setting the detector to the side, while the other
men pause, holding the line, watching as he reaches into the
bag on his hip and carefully plants a flag near where the
mine is. He rises again and nods.

OVERSEER
(blows a whistle twice)
Advance the line!

Cameron and the other men begin to move forward again.

Seen from behind, with the flag in close-up view, the line
slowly moves ahead in the dry, windswept field.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. HILLSIDE WITH OLD TREE

It is evening now, the sun setting and shadows long. A tall,
gnarled, possibly dead tree clings to a hillside.

Cameron climbs the hillside into view. He pauses, looking up
at the tree, and smiles. He carefully looks around.

The view of the plain below Cameron, as seen by him, is
empty of other people.

Cameron advances to the tree. He reaches into a hollow in
the tree, and pulls out a brass metal box about half the
size of a loaf of bread. When he opens it, a considerable
amount of military scrip can be seen inside.

Cameron pulls more money out of his breast pocket of his
jacket. He counts out a few bills, puts them back in his hip
pocket, counts out several more and puts them in his breast
pocket, and deposits the remainder in the box. He closes it
up and puts it back in the hollow of the tree.

Cameron pauses, looks around again, and satisfied no one is
watching, he heads back down the hill.

INT. ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

It is dark now. Cameron is in one of several lines in a
noisy, busy administration building, dimly but adequately
lit. It has a high ceiling and has the air of having once
been a central train station.

The woman in front of Cameron in the line finishes her
business and turns away.

MAIL WOMAN
Next!

Cameron advances to the till.

MAIL WOMAN
Name, address...

CAMERON
Belanger, Kensington Crescent.

The woman glances down, world-weary, and looks up again.

MAIL WOMAN
No mail.

CAMERON
(resignedly)
What's new.

Cameron turns away. As he leaves the building, he passes by
a counter and quietly takes an envelope, tucking it into his
jacket. He leaves the building.

INT. ABANDONED CAR IN A FIELD

Cameron, in an old car lit from above by a street light,
works at faking up a payment stamp on the envelope. He
deliberately smudges it, and works the envelope to make it
appear travel-worn. He reaches into his breast pocket and
takes out the bills. He puts them into the envelope and
seals it.

EXT. SMITHFIELD ROAD

Seen from behind, Cameron walks through the semi-darkness up
Smithfield Road, past a ruined jeep and a tank covered with
graffiti. He stops, looking off to the right as his name is
called.

DAVID
Cammy! Hey, Cammy!

Cameron turns to face his brother, DAVID, as he emerges from
behind a ruined building and comes up quickly on his
crutches. The two of them begin to walk together, slowly,
given that David has only one leg and must rely on the
crutches.

DAVID
How'd it go?

CAMERON
(shrugging)
Same as usual. Pulling vegetables.
What changes?

DAVID
Yeah, I guess so. Same in the
claims office. Stamp, file. Stamp,
file. Nothing much changes there
either.

CAMERON
Why are you walking?

David is panting, and Cameron slows his pace noticeably.

DAVID
Aw, bus never showed up. Probably
broken down again. Maybe tomorrow.

CAMERON
You shouldn't go if you don't see
it.

DAVID
That'd be nice, if I were rich
enough to turn down a day's work. I
wouldn't mind.

CAMERON
(nodding)
I know. I didn't mean you shouldn't
go... I just meant you shouldn't
have to.

DAVID
I know, Cammy.

Cameron pulls the envelope from his jacket pocket.

CAMERON
Hey, I think we got a letter from
Uncle Jack.

DAVID
Aw, great! That'll make Mom happy.
Be a load off her mind. That's
terrific.

Cameron smiles, nodding.

EXT. KENSINGTON CRESCENT

The street the Belangers live on is dark; both sides are
full of two-story row houses. Oil drums on the corners
provide what little light there is.

Cameron and David make their way home. They pass a woman
working a hand pump, retrieving a bucket of water. A couple
of kids chase around her, laughing and calling out.

CAMERON
I think I like power in the
evenings best.

DAVID
Me too. Hot suppers. I don't mind a
cold breakfast, but supper should
be hot.

CAMERON
I wish it could be like that all
the time.

DAVID
It will be, one day. It's coming.

CAMERON
(non-commitally)
Sure...

EXT. FRONT STEPS OF THE BELANGER HOME

The steps up to the common entrance the Belangers share with
another family are ornate and well-formed; they were once
posh. Cameron helps David to climb them. He opens the door
to the common hall, and they enter.

INT. ALCOVE OF THE BELANGER HOME

Cameron and David enter the apartment from the common hall
and close the door.

DAVID
(calling out)
Hi, Mom...

MOM
(from the kitchen)
Hi, Dave...

CAMERON
I'm home too, Mom!

David sits, removing his single boot, and Cameron kicks off
his work boots. Their MOM leans in from the kitchen, framed
by the light of a half dozen kerosene lamps.

MOM
Oh, both my men come marching home
together. How were your days?

DAVID
Same as usual, for us both.

CAMERON
Except...

Cameron pulls out the envelope, supposedly from Uncle Jack.
His mother takes it with a small, joyful exclamation.

MOM
Is it...?

CAMERON
I think so. Open it and see.

His mother works the envelope open with her finger. She
cannot hide her relief when she retrieves the money Cameron
has placed in it.

MOM
Praise God.
(she looks in the envelope)
...Though I do wish Jack would
write. It's clear he's doing
fine... but I'd like to know how he
is.

CAMERON
He's probably too busy. Oh, and...

Cameron pulls out the other bills he has tucked in his
jacket pocket, meant to be his day's wages from farm work.
David takes out his wages as well, and they both pass the
money to their mother. She reaches out to embrace them
together.

MOM
You're both good boys, you know.
Not like some of the louts around
here.

GRANDDAD appears in the doorway of the kitchen.

GRANDDAD
(in greeting)
Fellas...

CAMERON
Hey, Granddad...

DAVID
Hi, Granddad...

INT. THE KITCHEN

Granddad heads back to his chair as Mom, David, and Cameron
come in. There is a young girl, TAMMY, already sitting at
the table. Something is cooking on a kerosene stove, even
though there is an old power range in the kitchen. Granddad
sits with Tammy, and picks up the lit cigarette sitting in
the ashtray. Mom goes over to the kerosene stove, keeping an
eye on the meal.

TAMMY
Hi, guys!

DAVID
Hey, Tam-Tam.

Cameron gives Tammy a smile and a wordless wave.

GRANDDAD
What's the good word today?

Cameron regards the shortwave radio on the table, glowing
faintly with a constant, soft stream of words.

CAMERON
You tell us.

Granddad reaches over to a small gizmo attached to the radio
and begins to turn the hand crank. The light in the radio
glows stronger and the volume rises a bit.

GRANDDAD
Word is that that council in Paris
is making headway.

TAMMY
Just like the old days, huh,
Granddad?

GRANDDAD
Starting to look that way,
Princess.

David sets his crutches against the wall and gently waves
off Cameron's help as he sits at the table. Cameron leans
against the wall by the door, arms folded on his chest.

DAVID
You won't like it, Tammy. School
used to last about twenty years,
before the war.

TAMMY
(laughing)
I heard that. I don't think that
was true.

GRANDDAD
Oh, pretty near. Sometimes even
longer.

TAMMY
(dubious)
Really?

GRANDDAD
Honest.

TAMMY
When would anybody ever get
anything done?

DAVID
Things were complicated back then.
People had to know a lot more than
they do now.

MOM
Like with the steel works in
Pittsburgh. Complicated jobs.
Things like that are starting up
again. People are going to need
more schooling.

TAMMY
Like oil fields out west, things
like that?

There is a subdued, uncomfortable silence for a moment or
two. Cameron and David regard one another.

GRANDDAD
Things like that.

TAMMY
I wish Dad would come home.

MOM
We all do.

Mom stirs the pot, tastes the meal, adds a bit of salt.

DAVID
They ought to have a continental
council over here like they're
having in Europe. We could really
use it.

GRANDDAD
Things are getting better. Hasn't
been any border trouble for a
while. It'll happen.

CAMERON
I'm more worried about China coming
back.

Granddad laughs, stubbing out his cigarette, and reaching
for another.

GRANDDAD
That'll be a while. We showed them
a thing or two.

DAVID
Showed us some stuff first, I
think.

GRANDDAD
(lighting his cigarette)
We kept what was ours.

DAVID
Mostly. But it seems to me there
was a time you could go from
Brandon to Calgary to work in the
oil fields, or to Toronto or
Montreal, without asking anyone's
permission.

GRANDDAD
It'll be that way again, don't
worry. Sooner or later people will
come to see there’s no point in
bickering over scraps. But it takes
time to build the economy back up.
It was the economy collapsing that
really led to the wars. It wasn't
that people wanted to fight; they
just got desperate. I remember how
it was.

MOM
Well, I wish they'd get on with it.

TAMMY
Granddad, if that happens, do you
think we'll see Dad again?

Granddad reaches out, patting Tammy on the shoulder.

GRANDDAD
We'll see him.

Mom sighs. She turns, carrying the pot with pot holders.

MOM
Come on, let's eat.

Cameron comes forward to join the others at the table.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. SUNRISE OVER THE PLAINS

A view of the sunrise over the river.

INT. CAMERON'S ROOM, MORNING

The window of Cameron's room looks out to the north. Beyond
their home are small, single family houses, most abandoned
or in disarray; Cameron's vantage point looks past them to
the highway and the ruined airport beyond. The window is
covered in fronts.

Cameron sits up in bed, rubbing his eyes. His breath is
visible. There is a quiet, but definite, distant bang. He
gets to his feet and looks out the window, rubbing it with
his hand.

CAMERON
Frost... a hard frost...

He peers out the window. In the distance he can see a cloud
of stirred-up dust drifting away in the morning air.

CAMERON
(very quietly)
...setting the mines off...

Cameron nods to himself. He pulls off the heavy shirt he
sleeps in.

INT. STAIRS

Cameron, dressed in his work clothes, creeps quietly down
the stairs. He peers carefully at the kitchen, but his
mother is not up yet. He makes his way to the apartment door
and quietly leaves.

EXT. PROVINCIAL ROAD 457

Cameron walks alone along the road, heading east out of
town.

EXT. FIELD NEAR A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Cameron is gathered in a group of scruffy men of all ages,
back in the same field he'd been in the day before. Cameron
makes eye contact with a few; one or two nod but no one
speaks.

The FOREMAN and several overseers push through the crowd.

FOREMAN
Alright, newcomers, form a line up
here.

About two dozen men and teenage boys emerge from the crowd.
One, ROB, moves up past Cameron, who notices him in passing.
Rob moves up with the newcomers to stand in the line before
the foreman. The foreman raises his hands, and the chatter
of the men dies off.

FOREMAN
You've been told by now how to work
the equipment, and anyway, most of
you have probably done this before,
so I'll just explain the
assignment. Everything between the
stakes. The parameter is a hundred
meters across. What you're working
on, if you don't know, is the
TransCanada. This is a re-opening
effort. We have a 25 kilometre
stretch to sweep before
mid-November. We don't make that,
you don't make your bonuses. That's
how it works. You don't make your
stretch for the day, we yank you
for someone on the fields tomorrow.
Plenty of guys want to sweep this
stretch if you don't. So pay
attention to what you're doing and
move along. Don't dawdle. And don't
step on a mine because the
detectors aren’t cheap.

Some of the men chuckle. The foreman's steely gaze quickly
silences them.

FOREMAN
Okay, that's it. Let's get going.

OVERSEER
Alright, form up behind yesterday's
safe line.

The men wander over to the safe line.

Cameron stands in the line. To his right, Rob, the scruffy
blond newcomer, stands beside him. In the distance, one of
the overseers moves down the line, counting men off with
ones, twos, and threes.

ROB
You seem a little young for this.

Cameron turns to look at the man, first shocked, then
indignant.

CAMERON
What do you know about it?

Rob shrugs.

ROB
I guess you have your reasons. I
didn't mean any offence.

Cameron grunts. He and Rob tense up as the counting-off
overseer comes along behind them.

OVERSEER
(tapping Rob's shoulder)
Three...
(tapping Cameron's shoulder)
One...
(tapping the next man)
Two...

ROB
(to Cameron)
Do you want to trade places?

Cameron turns to face Rob, pausing for a moment.

CAMERON
I'm not scared.

Rob nods.

OVERSEER
Ones, forward!

Cameron puts on his headphones and switches his detector on.
He forms up with the men at the front.

OVERSEER
Ones, advance! Twos, forward!

Cameron's line begins to move past the safe line. The next
set of men form the second line.

OVERSEER
Twos, advance! Threes, forward!

Rob moves up, taking his place in the last line, and puts on
his headphones. He looks ahead and sees Cameron slowly
sweeping the field with his detector. He simply stares for a
moment.

OVERSEER
Threes, advance!

Rob and the men of the last line move forward.

DISSOLVE TO:

Seen from above, in a long pan, the men of the three lines
sweep slowly over the field, like farmers of centuries past
with scythes.

DISSOLVE TO:

Cameron looking down intently at his work, then glancing
over his shoulder at the newcomer, Rob, two rows back, then
resuming his work.

DISSOLVE TO:

A shot of the sun high over the horizon, suggesting the
passing of time.

DISSOLVE TO:

Cooks bringing out pots for the noonday meal.

CUT TO:

Cameron sniffing, catching scent of the food, glancing back.

There is a sudden explosion.

In slow motion, Cameron falls forward into the camera,
landing on his face.

Cameron is stunned. He lifts his head, shaking it. Whistles
are blowing. There is shouting.

OVERSEER
Halt! Back of the line! Hold up!

Cameron fumbles for his glasses, then with sudden fear,
reaches down for his legs, and finds he is still whole.
Looking behind him, he sees a hole behind him where a man in
the second line has set off a mine. The man is dead and
scattered around the crater. Cameron retches, and looking
around, he realizes that other mines behind him may have
been missed. He faces forward again and sees his metal
detector several yards away, in front of him, where he
cannot safely reach it. He is trapped.

Rob comes forward with his detector.

ROB
Stay there... I'll make sure it's
safe.

Cameron is on his back, trembling, watching as Rob slowly
approaches, sweeping the detector back and forth. He draws
closer to the dead man. As he steps past, he pauses,
swinging the detector in a tight range, and then crouches
and plants a flag. He rises, moving forward to Cameron.

ROB
Okay, I'm here. We can get back.
Come on.

Rob coaxes Cameron to his feet.

ROB
Hold onto my belt.

Cameron takes hold of Rob's belt, and Rob begins to lead him
back, sweeping the detector before them.

FOREMAN
Get his detector!

Rob ignores the man, as others grumble at the foreman, and
continues to lead Cameron back to safety. They reach the
third line, and the men there applaud, slapping Rob on the
back.

The men disperse a little, and the foreman comes up to Rob
and Cameron.

FOREMAN
We have rules, we have procedures.
You disobey another instruction and
you're both off the crew without
pay. Do you understand me?

Rob and Cameron nod.

FOREMAN
(to the men)
Alright, break!

The foreman takes off. Rob eyes Cameron.

ROB
You okay?

CAMERON
(nodding)
Just a little shaky.

ROB
You'll be alright. Come on.

Rob leads Cameron out of the scene.

EXT. BASE CAMP

Men are playing sandlot baseball during the break. Cameron
sits with Rob under a tree, watching the game.

CAMERON
I didn't really thank you, did I?

ROB
It's alright. You've been through a
lot.

CAMERON
It's not the first time I've
seen... that... but...

ROB
First time in back of you. Yeah, no
one expects that. Do you have a
name, son? Mine's Rob.

They shake hands.

CAMERON
It's Cameron. And thank you.
Really.

ROB
It's alright.

CAMERON
You've done this kind of thing
before, haven't you?

ROB
I've been sweeping for about... oh,
four years now, I think. On and
off.

CAMERON
Wow, I just started this spring.

Rob nods, watching the other men toss the ball.

ROB
Do your folks know you're sweeping?

Cameron looks a bit sullen, slightly resentful, being
treated like a boy again.

CAMERON
My dad's in a camp out west.

ROB
Oh, I'm sorry.

Cameron tosses a stone into the tall prairie grass.

CAMERON
Someone's got to get him out.

ROB
Do you know how much they want?

CAMERON
Five hundred.

Rob whistles, impressed by the sum.

ROB
Your dad must have been trying to
po-- ...To get oil work.

CAMERON
You can say it. Poach. He didn't
have a permit and they weren't
going to give him one.

ROB
How long's he been away?

CAMERON
Nearly a year. Around the end of
the winter we got the notice. They
picked him up in a truck with a
dozen other guys inside Calgary
East Mark. So that's where he is…
Detcamp CEM.

ROB
Five hundred. Even sweeping, that'd
take a while.

CAMERON
(with a bit of pride)
I've got most of it.

ROB
How much?

Cameron eyes Rob for a moment.

CAMERON
Most.

Rob nods, and sighs.

ROB
You make me wonder how my sons are
doing.

CAMERON
Do you see them much?

ROB
(shaking his head)
I send what I can to their mother.
We all came to a mutual realization
they were better off without me,
though.

Rob lifts his head, smelling the breeze. He gets to his
feet.

ROB
Come on, we’d better grab something
while the grabbing's good.

CAMERON
You go ahead... I don't think I
could.

ROB
Come on, Cameron. You aren’t going
to last long swinging that thing
all afternoon without something in
you. I know it's rough, but that's
the job. You gotta eat, son.
(offering his hand to help
Cameron up)
At least try.

Cameron takes Rob's hand and lets him help him up. They head
off to the tables where men are gathering to eat.

ROB
Smells like chicken.

CAMERON
As long as it tastes like chicken.

ROB
Son, you'll soon learn that in
these camps, everything tastes like
chicken. Except the chicken.

Cameron laughs.

FADE TO:

EXT. BASE CAMP

Late afternoon, sun going down. Cameron and the men gather
to line up for their pay. Cameron is looking at a photo of
his father. He looks up from it at Rob, then gazes off in
the direction of home, toward the skyline of the city. He
sighs, and tucks the photograph away. He steps toward Rob.

CUT TO:

EXT. COMPTROLLER'S LINE

Men are receiving their pay. Cameron is in line, and behind
him is Rob. As Cameron steps up, the COMPTROLLER addresses
them.

COMPTROLLER
Foreman’s docking you each five for
insubordination. You got anything
to say about it, say it to him. But
you can expect to stay home from
now on if you do.

He hands Cameron his pay, and then Rob, and waves them off.

ROB
Don't let it get you down. It's
just one day.

CAMERON
I guess I'll see you tomorrow.

ROB
Yeah. See you bright and early,
Cameron.

Rob smiles and gives Cameron a nod, then turns and heads
into the crowd of itinerants who live in the camp.

Cameron watches him for a moment, then turns away.

EXT. HILLSIDE WITH OLD TREE

Cameron takes the money box out of the tree. He pauses to
sigh over how light the day's contribution is, then places
it in the box and puts it back in the tree.

EXT. A DARK STREET IN BRANDON

Cameron passes the camera, his booted steps crunching as he
moves in silhouette into town.

INT. ALCOVE OF THE BELANGER HOME

Cameron comes in. He notices David's crutch already propped
against the wall near the kitchen door.

CAMERON
I'm home... sorry I'm a little
late...

INT. THE KITCHEN

Cameron enters the kitchen. His mother, grandfather,
brother, and sister are there. The radio is playing softly,
but there is a pensive air as he enters.

CAMERON
Hey, everyone… is anything wrong?

MOM
Cameron, didn't you say you were
working at Weiss's?

CAMERON
Yeah...

DAVID
Cammy, I processed a document today
that mentioned that Carl Weiss died
last April.

Cameron glances at him, then his mother, then his
grandfather, who glances at him casually, puffing on his
cigarette. Cameron gives a shrug.

CAMERON
Yeah, he did. Someone else took
over.

MOM
Who?

CAMERON
(taking a seat, casually)
I don't know, to be honest. But as
long as they pay me, I really don't
care who's running the place. I
never saw Mr. Weiss while he was
alive, either. Why, is it
important?

MOM
We just wondered why you never
mentioned it.

CAMERON
It never seemed important, before
now...

MOM
Well, alright... we didn't mean to
put you on the spot. It just struck
us kind of funny is all.

CAMERON
Yeah, I guess. So what happened
with everyone today?

TAMMY
We patched up everyone's shirts.
And I helped.

DAVID
Well, we won't be able to do
without you, pretty soon.

GRANDDAD
That's right. Already a big help to
your mother.

TAMMY
I cut up all the potatoes, too.

CAMERON
(grabbing Tammy's hands)
Oh, here, let's see... well, what
do you know, she still has all her
fingers!

TAMMY
(pulling her hands away)
Stop that, I know what I'm doing.

CAMERON
Well, okay, then.

TAMMY
(pointing at Cameron)
None for him.

MOM
Now, now...

TAMMY
Well, no potatoes, anyway.

Everyone laughs.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. BASE CAMP

Midday. Cameron is sitting with Rob and some other men,
having lunch. There are no lines in the scene, but it's
clear the men are swapping stories and jokes, laughing,
teasing each other. Cameron is obviously proud to be sitting
in, to be counted as one of them. He smiles at Rob, watching
him, obviously taken with how naturally the other men turn
to listen to him.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. A DARK STREET IN BRANDON

Cameron, again in silhouette, hurries home through the rain.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. FIELD NEAR A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Close-up of autumn leaves on a tree, shaking in the wind.
One or two leaves break off and fly away. The camera turns
slowly to show rows of men, slowly sweeping their mine
detectors back and forth.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. FIELD NEAR A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

A charge is set beside a mine flag.

Cameron and Rob, and the other men, crouch, covering their
ears as the foreman shouts. After a moment, the charge is
set off, blowing up the flagged mine. The men all get to
their feet and dust themselves off. Rob and Cameron wander
together back to the equipment.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. HILLSIDE WITH OLD TREE

Cameron puts more money in the money box, replaces it, and
hurries off.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. FRONT STEPS OF THE BELANGER HOME

Cameron comes out into the dawn, pausing for a moment to
watch his breath, and hurries off.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. THE KITCHEN

The camera does a slow rotation showing Mom cooking,
Granddad at the radio, and David helping as Tammy follows
her finger along the page of a book, obviously reading the
line out loud. Finally it pauses on Cameron, sitting with
them at the table, but looking a thousand miles away.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. BASE CAMP

During a break, Cameron is sitting close by while Rob plays
cards with some of the other men.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. FRONT STEPS OF THE BELANGER HOME

Evening. Cameron coming home, the air cold enough to show
his breath. He lopes up the stairs.

INT. ALCOVE OF THE BELANGER HOME

Cameron comes in and hauls off his coat.

CAMERON
I'm home!

INT. THE KITCHEN

Cameron comes into the kitchen, sniffing the air.

CAMERON
Oh, man... what smells so good?

MOM
Lamb. First time I've seen it in
the market since spring.

CAMERON
Wow!

MOM
Between you and David... I thought
we could splurge. Just this once.

Cameron crowds the stove, drawing in the aroma. He thinks
for a moment.

CAMERON
Mom, I have a chance to help with
work on some of the farm equipment
this evening. Do you think I could
get some of this in the thermos?
I'm going to be a few hours.

MOM
Of course, honey. There's plenty.
But sit down and eat with us first,
okay?

CAMERON
Okay.

DAVID
And hello to you too, greedy-guts.

CAMERON
The day you smell that good I'll
say hi to you first.

GRANDDAD
At least we know where we stand now
in the scheme of things!

CAMERON
Yeah, just one notch below lamb
stew.

DAVID
Only one?

CAMERON
Yeaaah, just one.

DAVID
Be still, my heart.

MOM
If you're all finished, perhaps we
could eat now.

GRANDDAD
Best idea I've heard all day.

TAMMY
I cut the carrots.

CAMERON
I'll eat them with due
consideration.

TAMMY
Better!

CUT TO:

EXT. BASE CAMP

It's dark out. Cameron, carrying a thermos, comes up to
someone in the camp, and seems to ask a question. The man
responds, turning and pointing. Cameron seems to thank him
and hurries on.

INT. COMMONS TENT

Cameron finds Rob playing cards and sharing whiskey with
some of the men. Cameron catches his eye and waggles the
thermos at him. Rob makes a puzzled face.

INT. ROB'S TENT

Cameron sits beaming as Rob digs into the stew, barely able
to eat at a civilized speed.

ROB
Honest to God, Cameron, it's the
best thing I've tasted in... I
really don't know how long. Thank
you.

Rob closes his eyes, savouring the taste.

CAMERON
You make me wish I could tell my
mom just how much you're enjoying
it. You'd have her blushing.

ROB
She deserves every second of that
blush.
(chuckles)
I used to hate turnip, but if it's
not straight off Heaven's table
now, I don't know what is.

CAMERON
I guess it's been a while...

ROB
Well, four years...

CAMERON
(signing)
I really wish I could bring you
home, Rob. I just don't think
they'd buy that you were digging
potatoes.

ROB
This late in the year, are they
still buying that about you?

CAMERON
For now. I'll tell them something
else in a week or two.

ROB
Well, maybe then, huh?
(laughs)
Nice of me to invite myself to
dinner.

CAMERON
You are invited. Just as soon as I
can make them believe we work
together.

Rob scrapes out the bottom of the thermos.

ROB
You're a good kid, Cameron. Brought
up right.

CAMERON
We have a good family. Well... we
did.

Rob nods.

Cameron turns, gazing into the lamp light.

CAMERON
It's not really Dave's fault. He
just wanted to make more money.
Like I do. But then he stepped on
that mine...

Rob sits quietly, listening to Cameron.

CAMERON
That's really how it started.
Dave's money helped us move where
we are. A nicer place. But then he
had the accident.
(sighs)
My dad... he was working for the
district. Industrial reclamation.
(meets Rob's gaze with evident
pride)
My dad is part of the reason
farmers here can get their crops on
the trains to Winnipeg now. He
helped that happen. But when Dave
got hurt... Dad had to make a deal
with some people. It cost so much.
That's why he went to Alberta. The
oil patch. And now he's in that
camp. They saved my brother... but
with Dad gone, it's going to take
us years.

Rob shakes his head slowly.

ROB
There was a time... I guess still
even when I was born... when a man
didn't need a permit to go work the
oil fields. He just went. They
belonged as much to someone here as
to someone right on top of them, if
only he got up off his ass. Now,
though, everyone owns their own
little square of dirt and no one
wants to share. Unless they get
paid for the privilege.

CAMERON
It's all China's fault. Chinks. I
wish there was one here now... I'd
roll him down the highway and use
him to clear the mines.

ROB
(rubbing his chin, trying to
choose his words carefully)
Well… Cameron... I'll tell you.
I've done some reading and I know
they had a rough time of it once.
Back then the shoe was on the other
foot. I guess we can't really fault
them for finally kicking back one
day. Not really.

CAMERON
You're sticking up for them?

ROB
I'm just saying... most of them
were just people. Kids, not much
older than you. I guess a few were
fanatics; there's always some who
are in any crowd. But I think most
of them were just doing what they
were told. I don't think most of
them wanted to be here. Not really.
Fighting and dying on a lot of
flat, frozen tundra, ten thousand
miles away from everyone and
everything they ever gave a shit
about...

CAMERON
But they came here. And we didn't
want them here.

ROB
Do you think your dad wanted to
leave, Cameron? Do you think those
oil field folks wanted him there?

CAMERON
That's different.

ROB
Maybe. Maybe. But to me, it kind of
looks like having to do something
you don't want against the wishes
of other people because you feel
like you don't have a choice. I
think you can stand up for what's
yours but still feel sorry for the
other fellow.
(gives a soft nod; quite for a
moment; takes a gulp of
coffee)
Your father is a brave man,
Cameron. I can see why you love him
so much.

Cameron looks up.

CAMERON
Just like you, I guess... Looking
after your family out here.

Rob looks down.

CAMERON
You miss them.

ROB
I deserve to.
(swirling the coffee, staring
down into it)
I used to drink, Cameron. A lot.
Every day. It just seemed to make
life brighter. I didn't see that I
had all the light a man really
needs in the faces all around me.
Or that I was taking away their
light.

CAMERON
But you stopped, right?

ROB
I'm not a good man like your
father. I drank the jobs I got. I
had a boy... younger than you. I
guess he's a little older than you
now, though. Name's Bill. One night
when I came home he just hauled up
and told me off. Put me in my
place. He had every right. I was a
shitty husband and a shitty father,
and he said so.

CAMERON
(mouth dropping in surprise)
He did? I can't imagine.

ROB
From the sounds of your father, you
never had to.
(looks away)
We got into a fight. I broke his
arm. I broke his arm...
(Rob’s eyes glisten; he sets
his jaw firmly. Takes a deep
breath...)
That's when I left. I knew I had
to.

There is silence. The sounds of other men, laughing,
shouting, calling out hand of cards and cursing each other,
etc., can be heard.

CAMERON
But you love them, right?

ROB
More than anything.

CAMERON
And you quit drinking?

ROB
Can't quite shake that one,
Cameron. Most of the time. But not
all the time. And when I get the
demon rum in me... I can do some
terrible things.

CAMERON
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make
you sad.

ROB
It's okay. It's good to remember.
It's what keeps me right. And
you're a good friend.

CAMERON
Really?

ROB
That's the God's honest truth. If
my sons are like you now, I'd be
busting with pride just to know it.

Cameron sighs, looks around.

CAMERON
Rob, you've been working on the
TransCanada, right?



ROB
Mostly. Well, a lot of the time.

CAMERON
Is there still lots to do?

ROB
(laughing)
Kid, the thing's six or seven
thousand kilometres long. We mined
most of it when the Chinese invaded
so they couldn't use it. When the
PLA retreated, they mined it so we
couldn't use it. Mines on top of
mines. Must still be ten years
worth of work to get it clear end
to end.

CAMERON
How much of it really has to be
swept?

ROB
All of it. You can't take chances.
There are long, long stretches we
never had time to desurface when
the invasion happened. So you can
see mile after mile of blacktop
even now. Crumbling, breaking up,
grass-grown, yeah. But still there.
Ready for wheels. Except the
Chinese... they had this great idea
on the retreat. Find a hole, make a
hole... plant a mine, tar it over.
Looks like a road repair. But it'll
do worse to you than hitting some
pothole if you drive over it. So
there's still lots and lots to do.

CAMERON
So after we're done here... are you
going to head west?

ROB
Probably. That's where most of the
work is. We’re pretty much cleared
to the Lakehead at this point.
Beyond that, it's someone else's
job, really.

CAMERON
Would you take me with you?

ROB
What?

CAMERON
My dad, Rob. I have to go get my
dad out of the camps.

Rob regards Cameron for a few moments, face lit by the
lamplight.

ROB
Cameron... Calgary is weeks and
weeks away from here. Even without
stopping to work. There are men out
there. Dangerous men.

CAMERON
I know that. That's... that's why
I'm asking.

ROB
Christ, kid... I don't know.

CAMERON
I wouldn't hold you back. I
promise. Rob... I don't know if
I... I don't know if I'd make it.
But I have to try. No one else can.
Not my granddad. Not Dave with his
one leg.

ROB
I don't know, Cameron. It's against
my better judgement. Why don't you
ask me again when we're done here
and it's looking more realistic?

CAMERON
(a bit dejected)
Okay.
(after a few moments)
But one way or another, I'm going
to do it. Like that first day when
I stayed in the first line.

ROB
(nodding)
I remember.

CAMERON
I'm not a coward.

ROB
No. You're a boy.

They regard one another in the lamplight, and Rob upends his
coffee cup.

FADE TO:

EXT. A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

The shot opens to a tree limb, bare of leaves, in
mid-October just after Thanksgiving. The camera pans to the
men, coming off the road, for their midday break.

FOREMAN
Alright, alright, come to me, come
forward, gather around.

The men form up before the foreman.

FOREMAN
We've been pushing. You all know
that. But the inspectors have said
they don't believe we can meet the
deadline of November 15th. So the
company's not making the bonus. And
that means neither are you.

The men react angrily, some of them pushing forward.

The foreman holds up his hands, trying to quiet them to
continue. After a moment, they give him the chance.

FOREMAN
However... however! There's another
project, starting Monday. If they
can get enough to sign on for it,
this leg of the TransCanada
recovery will be put on hold till
the spring. They want to re-open
the Assiniboine bridge to relieve
the communities on the other side.
If they can use that, then they can
at least get one lane of commerce
along the safe trail on the south
side. I'm not going to blow smoke
up your asses. It's heavily mined
on both sides and they nearly blew
the thing up just removing the
booby traps. But for every man who
volunteers, there's fifty up front.
For every man makes it through,
another two hundred at the other
end. That's for about three weeks'
work.

The men begin to mutter with guarded optimism.

FOREMAN
Sign-ups are this evening at day's
end, and tomorrow and Friday, which
is the day we shut down. Think it
over. Now eat up and get back to
work.

The view focuses on Cameron's face, full of wonder at the
news.

CAMERON
(to himself)
I could get him home for Christmas.

He turns to Rob, but finds Rob eyeing him with trepidation.
Cameron keeps his thoughts to himself, and they wander back
to work.

FADE TO:

EXT. A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Cameron and Rob and the other men, sweeping the road with
their mine detectors.

FADE TO:

EXT. FIELD NEAR A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

The sun is setting at the end of the day.

CUT TO:

EXT. BASE CAMP

Cameron turns in his detector and hurries up to one of the
foreman's assistants.

CAMERON
Which way is the line for the new
project?

OVERSEER
It's that one right over there.

CAMERON
Thanks.

Cameron hurries to join the line. Just as he does, he's
taken by the elbow.

ROB
Cameron, no.

Cameron glances at Rob and pulls his arm away.

CAMERON
I don't have any choice.

ROB
There are other ways, Cameron.
You're nearly there. You said so
yourself. Quit while you're ahead.

Cameron glares at Rob.

CAMERON
Don't make this hard for me.

Rob draws his hand back. Men behind them begin complaining
about the hold-up. Cameron steps up to the table. The man
behind it eyes him suspiciously, but finally pushes the
contract across the table at him. Cameron signs it, locks
gazes with Rob, and heads over to the comptroller's line for
his pay.

FADE TO:

EXT. PROVINCIAL ROAD 457

Cameron heads homeward through the twilight.

EXT. HILLSIDE WITH OLD TREE

Cameron approaches the old tree. He looks around, reaches
for the money box, and puts his daily contribution into it.
He then sets it back and heads home.

INT. THE KITCHEN

The family has gathered in the evening, eating quietly as
they listen to the radio. Granddad pauses to wind up its
dynamo again as it begins to fade.

Cameron is picking at his plate, and sighs.

MOM
You don't seem very hungry tonight.
Is anything wrong?

CAMERON
Just had a rough day.

GRANDDAD
Isn't it getting a little late for
the harvest?

CAMERON
Mostly over. We're putting the
place right for winter. Getting set
up for next year. You know.

GRANDDAD
Ah.

CAMERON
(picking at a boiled potato)
There's only a couple days left
now.

DAVID
They're looking for runners at
work. A lot easier than what you've
been doing. We could ride to City
Hall together. Good way to spend
the winter. Interested, Cammy?

CAMERON
I dunno.
(looks up into David's hopeful
face)
Why don't we wait and see next
week?

DAVID
Sure. I've got an in... I'm pretty
sure I can get them to take you on.

Cameron rises, reaching for his jacket.

CAMERON
Well, I better get back. I've been
learning a lot about the machinery,
and I guess I've only got a few
more days to learn.

MOM
Well, alright. Don't be out too
late, okay? The nights are really
starting to get cold.

CAMERON
I won't. I'll see you in a few
hours.

Cameron grabs a slice of bread and leaves the kitchen.

EXT. PROVINCIAL ROAD 457

Cameron walks back to the base camp.

EXT. BASE CAMP

Cameron is outside Rob's tent.

CAMERON
Rob? It's me, Cameron. I need to
see you.

There's a long pause.

ROB
Alright, Cameron.

Cameron enters.

INT. ROB'S TENT

Cameron comes in. He regards Rob, who is sitting with a
bottle of liquor and is already quite drunk. Cameron has to
look away not to show his pain and disappointment. He turns
back, anger in his eyes.

CAMERON
Why can't you be happy for me?

Rob says nothing, eyes wandering back and forth between the
bottle and the boy.

Cameron sits, confronting Rob.

CAMERON
I have to do it. Rob, I could get
my dad home. For real. In weeks
now, not months. And there'd be
money left over. Fifty bucks gets
you on the grid for six months,
non-stop. I'd be able to get power
for our house for more than a year.
I've been putting it aside... I've
been hiding most of it. Having to
lie and tell them I'm picking crops
for crap wages. Do you know what
it's going to mean when I bring
that money home? When I can show it
to them at last?

ROB
Cameron, do you know why they're
paying that kind of money?

CAMERON
Yes, of course. Because it's so
dangerous.

Rob sighs. He leans the bottle back and takes two deep
swallows, then leans forward.

ROB
This highway is a convenience.
Clearing it will make commerce a
lot faster. Get things started up
again for real. But trucks,
tanks... they really don't need
highways. They can cross the
prairie grass and make their own
roads. But they need bridges,
Cameron. Without them, well...
people on one side don't know the
people on the other anymore, and we
get a world like this. We know it,
and the Chinese knew it.

CAMERON
That's why they booby-trapped it. I
know.

ROB
No. You don't know. They mined this
road up and down, that's true. But
they saved the good mines, the best
mines, for the bridges. Mines made
of wood, boy. Clay. Plastic. Mines
that don't show up on a detector
hardly at all. Mines designed for
men more than machines. A mile to
either side. Do you get me?

CAMERON
You're trying to scare me.

ROB
You're goddamn right I am. And you
should be. But I'm telling you the
truth. You know, when I was a kid
in Red Deer, they used to clear the
bridges in town by driving cattle
back and forth across them till
they either ran out of mines or
they ran out of cattle. But meat
was getting scarce by then and when
that got too expensive, they
started using sheep. And when that
got too expensive, that's when they
started paying men to do it. My
brother is buried alongside the
49th Street bridge.

CAMERON
(sneering)
They why do you do it?

ROB
Because I broke my son's arm.
Because sending money home is all I
have left to offer them.

Rob raises the bottle again, but Cameron grabs his arm
before he can drink.

CAMERON
Well, all I have is this. To get my
father home.

Rob stares into Cameron's eyes.

ROB
Cameron... about every third man
they send out there is going to
die. That's a solid fact. They know
it, I know it, and I'm telling you.
And I'll tell you something else.
Your father would rather rot the
rest of his life in that camp than
have you blown all over that bridge
for a lousy couple hundred bucks.
If he's even half the man you say
he is.

Cameron pushes Rob, who falls off his cot, the bottle
tumbling to the floor. Cameron rises, standing in the mouth
of the tent and watching Rob scramble for his bottle. He
gazes down at Rob, cradling the bottle and looking up at
him, with disgust. After a moment, Cameron turns and leaves.

EXT. A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

In the morning, Cameron gathers with the other men. He looks
around, but does not see Rob. He creeps away.

INT. ROB'S TENT

Cameron peers into Rob's tent and finds him snoring on his
cot, whiskey bottles on the floor, and hints of vomit.
Cameron looks disgusted and pained, and slowly leaves the
tent.

EXT. A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Cameron is on line with his mine detector. The foreman
approaches him.

FOREMAN
Where's your friend?

CAMERON
I think he's sick.

FOREMAN
Yeah. Yeah, I'll bet. Show me.

CAMERON
I don't think you want to catch
what he's--

FOREMAN
I said show me.

EXT. BASE CAMP

Outside Rob's tent. Cameron opens the flap and he and the
foreman lean in. After a moment they emerge.

FOREMAN
At lunch time, if he's awake...
hell, if he's not, wake him up.
Tell him to get his shit together
and get gone. He's finished here.

CAMERON
It was just one night. He misses
his family. Everybody--

FOREMAN
If you can't follow orders, kid,
you can stay right here next week.
I don't need nobody who can't
follow orders getting on the truck
on Monday. Understand?

Cameron nods.

FOREMAN
Get in the line and get to work.

Cameron watches the foreman leave. He sighs, glancing back
at Rob's tent, then reluctantly follows the foreman.

FADE TO:

EXT. A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Cameron, listening to the clicks in his earphones, as he
slowly sweeps the highway.

FADE TO:

An overhead shot of Cameron, from behind, sweeping, with the
shot rising and growing wider, to show the men at work. One
pauses to flag a mine.

FADE TO:

The men moving off the highway for the midday break. Cameron
sighs, closing his eyes as he takes the headphones off,
contemplating what he now has to do.

EXT. BASE CAMP

Outside Rob's tent.

CAMERON
Rob? Rob, are you up yet?

Cameron turns, and leans into the tent.

INT. ROB'S TENT

Cameron sees the tent has been emptied of all Rob's personal
effects. In shock, he steps in, looking around at the sudden
empty hollowness.

EXT. FIELD NEAR A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Cameron returns to the luncheon area, clearly looking
around, hoping to spot Rob. Instead, the foreman finds him.

FOREMAN
Did you tell him?

CAMERON
He's already gone.

FOREMAN
(faintly surprised, but
satisfied)
Well, at least he's got that much
sense. Go on, get something to eat.

CAMERON
(leaden)
Yes, sir...

CUT TO:

The camera slowly tightens on Cameron's face as he sits at
the table, ignoring his lunch, his face only hinting at the
devastation he clearly feels inside. Finally, he closes his
eyes and begins to eat.

FADE TO:

EXT. A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Cameron is listening intently to his headphones as he
sweeps. Suddenly, without warning, the headphones are torn
from his head. He is grabbed by the collar and confronted by
the foreman.

FOREMAN
You little bastard, why didn't you
tell me you were sixteen?

Cameron looks bewildered. Suddenly he sees his mother behind
the men. She is frantic and making an emotional scene, and
being restrained by Granddad. The men are laughing.

The foreman manhandles Cameron over to his mother and
grandfather and shoves him at them.

FOREMAN
Get him out of here!
(pointing at Cameron)
Don't come back.

The foreman storms off.

Cameron is slapped by his mother, who is angered to tears.

MOM
Mine sweeping? After what happened
to Dave? After your father had to
go away?

She raises her hand to strike him again, but her arm is
caught by Granddad.

GRANDDAD
Easy, easy, Annie...

She turns and tucks her face into her father's coat.

CAMERON
(rubbing his cheek, wailing)
What happened?!

GRANDDAD
(restraining his own anger)
A man came by this morning. Drunk.
Said he knew you. Said you were
sweeping, getting ready to go away.
We didn't believe him at first but
he knew everything about us.

CAMERON
But I never told him where we
lived...

GRANDDAD
Well, he found us, and he set us
straight.
(Granddad looks at his
daughter, stroking her hair)
Boy, you've hurt your mother
something awful. How could you do
this? Have you got no sense? No
sense at all?

Mom turns, face red and pinched.

MOM
(yelling)
Get home! Get home, now!

CAMERON
But how did he find you? I never
brought him home! I never led...
(something dawns on him)
Oh, my God.

Cameron breaks into a run, moving past them as they call out
to him.

EXT. PROVINCIAL ROAD 457

Cameron runs down the empty road.

EXT. HILLSIDE WITH OLD TREE

Cameron runs up to the tree. Frantically, he reaches into
it, and pulls out the money box. When he opens it, there is
nearly no money in it.

CAMERON
Oh, fuck, no! No, no, no no no!!

His hands trembling, he counts the bills. Then counts them
again.

CAMERON
(on the verge of tears)
Fifty! Fifty!

He finally attends to a folded piece of paper place in the
box. Read over his shoulder, in large block letters, it
says: I HOPE YOU’LL UNDERSTAND SOMEDAY

Cameron sinks to his knees, bringing his hands to his face.
After a moment, he rages, balling the note and throwing it
at the tree. He pounds his fists in the dirt.

CAMERON
You bastard! You filthy, fucking
bastard!

The camera pulls back from him as he continues to rage,
alone in the vast empty landscape.

FADE TO:

EXT. A CRUMBLING HIGHWAY

Men at the base camp who are going on the project get into
the trucks.

FADE TO:

Same view. The men are on the trucks. The trucks begin to
pull away.

FADE TO:

Same view. The trucks are gone. The camp is gone. The view
is empty, except for the road.

CUT TO:

INT. TROLLEY BUS

Cameron and David, sitting on a trolley together, David
looking around, Cameron staring despondently at the floor.

FADE TO:

INT. ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, CENTRAL AREA

Someone working at a municipal desk. She pats a desk bell.
Cameron appears, taking a stack of papers from her desk and
carrying them away.

FADE TO:

INT. ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, OFFICE

David working at a desk, separating files from a folder into
two piles. Camera pans to show Cameron, working with broken
resignation as he places pages into a filing cabinet. He
glances up at a small window. Lit from inside, snow is seen
flying past it.

FADE TO:

INT. ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, CENTRAL AREA

Central area of the municipal office. Cameron watches as
some of the older women work putting up some modest
Christmas decorations. David appears, offering him a
steaming mug of something. Cameron manages to smile as he
takes it, and brings it to his lips.

FADE TO:

EXT. FRONT STEPS OF THE BELANGER HOME

The snow has set in deep, and in the light of the street
lamps, Cameron and several other people who live in his
building are co-operating, cleaning off the front steps and
the sidewalks. David, balanced on his crutch, is carefully
helping to sweep the stairs. A woman comes out with a tray
of hot drinks for the workers. Cameron takes one, thanking
the woman, and cups it to his mouth.

The view shows a dark figure appearing from another street
onto theirs.

A couple of people look up warily at the approach of a
stranger out of the storm.

Cameron is busy with shovelling the walk.

A couple more people look up.

NEIGHBOUR #1
Ben?

People peer at one another.

NEIGHBOUR #1
Is that Ben?

Cameron pauses, lifting his head.

NEIGHBOUR #2
Dave, Cammy... isn't that your
father?

Cameron turns. David stares down from the steps. Cameron's
look of concentration becomes one of recognition. He drops
his shovel.

CAMERON
Oh, my God...

He steps forward.

CAMERON
Dad?
(breaking into a run)
Dad?!

The stranger, DAD, drops his pack and opens his arms,
running to meet Cameron.

CAMERON
Dad!

They meet in an embrace.

David hurries down the steps, neighbours reaching to help
him. Others rush up the stairs to summon the rest of the
Belangers.

DAVID
Dad! Dad!

DAD
Cameron! Oh, Cameron... Dave. Oh,
my God... I can't believe it's you.

Cameron leans back, taking in his father's haggard, wasted
appearance with a look of mingled joy and dismay. David
hurries up and joins the embrace.

DAD
Oh, my God, boys...

CAMERON
How did you get away? How did you
get home?

DAD
I don't know. It was like a
miracle. One day about a month ago,
the guards came up and told me my
parole was paid; I could go.
Someone just paid it. I don't know
who, and I don't know why. I
thought it might have been one of
you, but... there was no one...

Cameron blinks away tears.

CAMERON
(voice cracking)
You don't know who it was?

DAD
No, Cammy. All I know is the
message they gave me. To tell my
family Merry Christmas. Especially
my son.
(looks back and forth between
Cameron and David, but David's
gaze directs him)
Cameron?

Neighbours emerge, leading Mom, Granddad, and Tammy.

MOM
Ben? Ben! Ben!

GRANDDAD
Ben!

TAMMY
Daddy, Daddy!

They all rush up as neighbours gather around, cheering and
shouting. The view lifts up and away to take in the entire
joyous street scene.

FADE TO:

INT. THE KITCHEN

The kitchen is candle-lit. The family is gathered at the
table, and Christmas dinner appears to be finished. Dad is
cleaned up and looking a bit more hale and hearty; he holds
Tammy in his arms. Together, they all sing Silent Night.
Cameron smiles, looking into the faces of his family one by
one, but then his smile fades as he gazes out the window
into the cold darkness.

INT. ALCOVE OF THE BELANGER HOME

With the family still making merry in the candle light
behind him, Cameron puts on his winter coat, boots, and cap,
and heads out into the street.

EXT. SMITHFIELD ROAD

Cameron walks up the road in the darkness, silhouetted by
the timid but reassuring light of the City of Brandon.

EXT. HILLSIDE WITH OLD TREE

Cameron climbs the hill up to the tree, faintly lit by
moonlight and the light of the city. He pauses there, hands
in his pockets, just looking around, lost for a moment.

Cameron gazes off to the west, in the direction Rob went.

He eases to his knees, and begins to paw in the snow.
Nestled in the roots of the tree, he finds the balled-up
note from Rob. He unfolds it, smoothing it out on the trunk,
and holds it up. Stained and smeared, it still reads I HOPE
YOU’LL UNDERSTAND SOMEDAY

The view focuses on Cameron's face, his eyes beginning to
fill with tears, his lip trembling. Suddenly he gasps,
bringing his hands to his face.

CAMERON
I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I didn't
know. I'm sorry.

After a moment, he lifts his face. He clasps his hands.
Cheeks wet with tears, he stares up into the sky.

CAMERON
Please... please... look after my
friend.

The view shifts to a one-quarter view behind Cameron, knelt
beside the tree, and pulls back and upward slowly, leaving
him there on his knees in prayer.

CREDITS BEGIN; FADE TO BLACK.