To the west, the sky has cracked open like a spilled can of
red paint.
Shaken by his thoughts, Blake climbs down to see the others.
Sarah sleeps.
Danny has gone.
Blake steps from the arched door, stretches his body, yawns.
The sunset draws him closer to cliff to get better view.
As the sun dips to meet landfall, there is a fringe of solid
black cloud that grows menacingly.
A swirling mass of water courses into the delta he'd seen the
previous night.
He walks through the rocky passageway.
Low voices murmur inside.
Blake peers through a gap.
DANNY sits on a workbench beside JUBA.
An oil lamp between them casts dancing shadows on their
faces.
BUDYA squats silently near the door, watching.
64.
Blake eases inside.
BLAKE
Secret meeting of the "Let's Worry
the Adults" club?
DANNY
(startled)
Blake! We thought you were
sleeping.
JUBA
(grave)
We've been talking. About what
happens next.
BLAKE
And what exactly happens next?
BUDYA
(speaking for the first
time)
Juba must go back. Finish the old
story.
BLAKE
Story? He's just a kid.
JUBA
(standing)
Feelgood says it's my destiny.
BLAKE
Juba, you're sixteen. Your destiny
should involve fishing and
cavorting.
DANNY
But the paintings showed it! And
Marwen came back after ten thousand
years!
BLAKE
(sighing)
When you put it like that, it does
sound like we're well past rational
decision-making.
Juba leads Danny to the workbench.
DRUMMER settles beside them, panting.
Wind gusts through gaps in the shed walls, making the lamp
flicker.
65.
DANNY
What is it, Juba? You look scared.
JUBA
Feelgood says the...takers will
come for me.
DANNY
Bullshit.
JUBA
Danny—
DANNY
I said bullshit.
JUBA
(quietly)
I won't be coming back. You can't
come with me. But I want you to
know something.
He hesitates, looks away.
DANNY
What?
JUBA
(rushing the words)
I love you like a brother. Want you
to have this.
He passes Danny his spear - carved wood, worn smooth by
generations of hands.
JUBA (CONT'D)
My father's spear. His father's
before that. Hundreds of years old.
Only supposed to go to my children,
but...
He shrugs helplessly.
JUBA (CONT'D)
Feelgood says it's okay.
Danny grips the ancient weapon.
DANNY
(voice breaking)
I don't want you to go. Besides
Mum, you're all I've got.
BUDYA approaches, touches Juba's shoulder.
66.
BUDYA
Time.
She leads Juba toward the door. He looks back once at Danny,
then they're gone.
Blake sits beside Danny on the workbench.
BLAKE
There's nothing we can do right
now.
DANNY
(wiping his nose)
That's crap.
BLAKE
Maybe. But sometimes crap is all
we've got.
DANNY
Will you stay?
He puts his arm around Danny's shoulders.
BLAKE
I'll stay. Come on. Let's check on
your mum. Storm's coming. We need
supplies and I need to tell you
something.
Danny looks hard into Blakes's eyes.
DANNY
You'd better.
CHAPTER 17 - MISSING - IMAGE - CROC.
Blake motions for Danny to climb the extra steps into the
lighthouse dome.
Helps the boy to safety, then holds the lantern aloft as he
goes into the bedroom to wake Sarah.
Sarah's not there.
He paces from the room, calls her name.
No response.
Low HOWLING of wind overhead.
67.
He rushes into the opposite room to check.
Nothing.
Then, pinned to the bedroom door, he sees a hand-written
note.
BLAKE
(reads)
"Gone to the point to try for a
signal. Back in a jiffy..."
Blake double-steps up into the lighthouse dome.
He looks towards the point, a good distance away. The sea is
in turmoil.
DANNY
(kneeling, pulling cans
from under the bench)
Where's mum? Look, I found some
tucker. What were you gonna tell
me?
Danny lifts open a wooden crate filled with old papers and
equipment.
BLAKE
It can wait. Stay here, ok?
Blake leaves.
Blake searches everywhere, curses under his breath.
SCREAMS into the wind.
BLAKE
Sarah!
His voice is lost in the gale.
He returns to the lighthouse dome.
Sarah walks toward the nearby shoreline, phone held high,
searching for a signal.
The wind strengthens.
68.
Preoccupied with her phone, she doesn't notice the water
lapping at her feet.
She looks down - ankle deep and rising fast.
Turns to head back but stops short.
An esturine croc lies motionless on the muddy bank, leathery
eyes fixed on her.
She stumbles backward into deeper water, yelps as she loses
her footing.
Falls into the murky waters.
BLAKE
(reassuring)
She can't be far. Don't worry.
At that moment, a shaft of light as blinding as a camera
flash lights them from the opening above.
Stunned by the intensity, they shield their eyes.
It passes.
Blake climbs the ladder with Danny close behind.
They watch the spectacle.
Low clouds scud by.
The light seems to hide and fuse with the mist, giving the
sky a muted effect similar to an emerging dawn.
The strange light, now intense, flits at high speed.
The raging storm stops, controlled.
A mass of stars twinkle through a fissure above the
lighthouse dome.
Tendrils of mist gather.
A funnel forms, spiralling as stars are extinguished by the
bulk of something.
A shape descends while the air crackles, only feet above the
dome.
69.
It traverses to one side where it begins a slow circle at eye
level.
Moves like a captured deep-sea creature within an aquarium.
The thing shimmers.
Expands like quicksilver droplets.
A face appears.
Danny places his hand flat on one of the glass panels.
His mouth drops in wonder as he stares through the frame at
the face of what could only be from another realm.
This face is beautiful beyond description.
DANNY
(whispers)
Like an angel.
Not feet from the dome, the mirage continues to circle.
On the glass, a word has been formed, as though by an
invisible hand.
Danny traces his finger over the reversed lettering.
Foggy condensation drips like melting ice around the word
VASH.
Then the mirage is no longer there.
FEELGOOD walks with purpose as he leads his mob.
Juba is close behind him.
He flinches when a THUNDERCLAP rings out.
Unabated, he strides on, looks back to see his people in a
straggly line.
Closer to the island, the group pauses.
All eyes stare at the sudden light that beams and lights the
lighthouse tower across the water ahead.
70.
— ⑫