SUPER: 1968
On a darkened living room, a huge summer moon spilling silver
through a window.
We move slowly across the mantelpiece where a pair of candles
glow, illuminating family photos. Weddings two, maybe three
generations back -- brides in white, their young grooms at
their sides, frozen in time. As we pan, we hear two VOICES
offscreen: a BOY'S and a GIRL'S.
GIRL'S VOICE (O.S.)
Stop pushing it. You're not
supposed to force it. You're
supposed to just let it happen.
BOY'S VOICE (O.S.)
I'm not pushing it, you're pushing
it.
GIRL'S VOICE (O.S.)
I am not.
Silence. Until,
GIRL'S VOICE (O.S.)
You're pushing it again.
An exasperated sigh.
BOY'S VOICE (O.S.)
Well, hurry up. My foot's falling
asleep.
GIRL'S VOICE (O.S.)
Mo-mmm. Larry's pushing it.
Mom?
MOM (O.S.)
(from the next
room)
Larry, don't push it.
And now, we finally pan over to discover two KIDS playing with
a Ouija board. For future reference, the players are FAITH
(age eleven), and her brother LARRY (ten).
LARRY
I'M NOT PUSHING IT.
FAITH
Wait. I have to write this down.
A groan out of him. She grabs a piece of paper and starts
scrawling out a series of letters.
FAITH
Grandma told me everybody has a
soul mate.
FAITH
But most people never find theirs,
most people settle. I'm never
gonna settle.
She gazes up as the ripe summer moon slips behind a bank of
clouds.
FAITH
This way I'll know the name of the
man I'm supposed to wait for.
The arrow continues to move around the board, stopping on
various letters which she copies down.
LARRY
Yeah, but, what if this guy lived
a billion, trillion years ago?
Like, what if he was a cave man,
and now he's dead?
FAITH
Don't be stupid, Larry. If he's
my destiny, then, obviously, he
has to be alive.
Another letter.
LARRY
Yeah, but, what if he doesn't live
here? Like, what if he's a
cannibal in New Guinea or
something?
FAITH
If I live here, then he lives here.
Fate wouldn't make a mistake like
that.
(beat)
And stop talking. You're gonna
ruin the spell.
Another pause. Another letter. Then... Ever the devil's
advocate,
LARRY
(whispering)
Yeah, but... but, Faith, what if
he does live here, and one day you
just walk past him on the street?
I mean, you don't hear his name,
you don't get a chance to introduce
yourselves. You practically bump
straight into each other, but you
never even know it?
Right in his face,
FAITH
We'll KNOW.
LARRY
Okaaaaayyyy.
The arrow comes slowly to a halt. And she writes down the
final letter, as the moon again breaks through the clouds,
throwing a bright white beam of light directly onto the name
which reads:
FAITH (O.S.)
(a whisper)
Damon Bradley.
(she looks up,
spellbound)
He's the one.
Beat.
LARRY
Goodie. Can I ask about the Series
now?
CUT TO:
EXT. CARNIVAL - NIGHT
A screaming face. Whirling lights. A local carnival. The
small-town traveling kind.
SUPER: THREE YEARS LATER.
Up on the ferris wheel, a bunch of JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS
are distinguishing themselves by hurling water balloons down
at carnival-goers. Among the participants is Faith's brother
Larry.
PULL DOWN from them to "MADAME DIVINA'S FORTUNE TELLING
BOOTH". "Know Your Fate". Clustered in front of it are a
bunch of JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS.
We should recognize Faith as one of them. Another girl,
LESLIE, is egging a friend on.
LESLIE
Go on, go on...
(to the rest)
She wants to know if she's gonna
marry Alex.
GIRL #2
I do not. I'm not gonna marry
Alex.
(obviously)
He doesn't even have a car.
LESLIE
But he's got pretty eyes. That
means your kids would have pretty
eyes. You can always get a car
later, but you can't always find
pretty eyes. You gotta think
ahead.
GIRL #3
Who cares about pretty eyes,
Leslie? I'm telling you, stocks,
bonds, real estate -- that's what
you wanna look for in a man.
GIRL #4
(dismissing)
Heh...
GIRL #3
What then?
GIRL #4
(the voice of
authority)
Definitely sex.
Somebody else pipes up,
GIRL #5
My mom told me you gotta want the
same things out of life. Have the
same values, be able to
communicate.
They all turn to look blankly at this poor, misguided soul.
GIRL #5
I'm just telling you what she said.
They're still looking at her.
GIRL #5
It's not like I believed her or
anything...
FAITH
I think you're all wrong.
LESLIE
What do you think the most
important thing is, Faith?
There is not a doubt in her mind.
FAITH
True love. I believe there's one
special person out there who's
meant for each of us. And when
your eyes meet, it'll be magic and
you'll both know it instantly.
A couple of dissenters roll their eyes.
FAITH
(turning to another
friend)
Don't you think so, Kate?
KATE's looking at the ground, trying to sound casual.
KATE
I don't know, I guess I never
really thought about it...
(in her next
breath)
Is Larry here?
FAITH
(she couldn't care
less)
Yeah. He's around somewhere.
Up above, Larry takes careful aim, then sends a water balloon
torpedoing their way. It hits the ground between them with
an enormous SPLAT. They SCREAM.
INT. FORTUNE TELLING BOOTH - NIGHT
We move past them, through a beaded window and into the booth
where a disheveled older WOMAN, MADAME DIVINA, is paging
through a copy of "Scientific American".
There's a TAP at the door. She checks her watch. Curses.
She shoves the magazine in a drawer, then hoists a bowling
ball, the kind with the iridescent swirls in them, onto an
opening in the center of the table, carefully positioning it
so the three holes aren't visible. She flicks on a flashlight
above it. Crystal ball.
Back outside, the girl everybody-thinks-is-going-to-marry-Alex
is nervous.
GIRL #2
But what if she tells me something
bad? I don't want to hear anything
bad...
KATE
They never tell you anything bad.
Nobody'd ever go to them if they
did.
The door opens. The WOMAN'S imposing hulk casts a shadow down
over them. They look up.
FORTUNE TELLER
Who knocked?
Like deer in the headlights.
GIRL #2
(pointing at Kate)
She did.
KATE
(pointing at girl
#2)
She did.
Nobody moves, until,
FAITH (O.S.)
I did.
Faith looks at her friends, shrugs, then gamely ventures
inside past the beads and sits down.
FORTUNE TELLER
What's your name?
FAITH
Faith.
FORTUNE TELLER
(lighting a candle)
What do you wanna know, Faith?
FAITH
Um, just basic destiny stuff, I
guess. But-- I don't want to hear
anything bad.
(beat)
If that's okay.
Madame Divina starts laying out a series of tarot cards.
Suddenly there's a loud KNOCK at the back door. Faith jumps.
FORTUNE TELLER
(dismissing)
Spirits.
She lays down a couple more cards. Then a persistent
"PSSSSTTTT", "PSSSSTTT". More BANGING.
FORTUNE TELLER
(hollering)
Harry, I'm outta change.
More KNOCKING. Harry is determined. Annoyed, Mme. Divina
finally gets up.
FORTUNE TELLER
How come I always wind up next door
to the freak show?
(as she goes)
Just because they're midgets does
that mean they don't have to go
to the bank like the rest of us?
She lumbers to the back of the booth, throws open a back door
and looks down.
FORTUNE TELLER
What?
Inside, Faith is nervously eying the cards. Her friend KATE
peeks in through the beads.
KATE
(mouthing the words
and pointing)
Is that a bowling ball?
Faith doesn't understand. Kate mimes a bowling motion,
swinging her arm. Faith shrugs. As the woman returns, from
outside we overhear,
BOY'S VOICE (O.S.)
Hey, Kate. Larry wants you.
LARRY (O.S.)
I do not.
Kate grins, ducks out. Mme. Divina sits back down. Closes
her eyes. Fingers the ball, entranced.
FORTUNE TELLER
Something is coming to me. I'm
getting... a name.
Faith leans forward.
FORTUNE TELLER
(straining)
This name is very important to
you... Da-- David. No-- no...
A faint breeze flutters through the room and the candle starts
to flicker.
FORTUNE TELLER
Damon.
Faith's heart skips a beat.
FORTUNE TELLER
His name is...
(her eyes pop open
with startling
intensity)
Damon Bradley.
It is, of course, the same name.
FAITH
Omigod. Omigod.
(getting up)
I have to go.
She seizes Faith's hand.
FORTUNE TELLER
Just a minute--
Faith freezes.
FORTUNE TELLER
Your destiny's two dollars.
Faith pulls out two bills, drops them on the table. Bolts
for the door. But the woman stops her again.
FORTUNE TELLER
Hey--
