1 WOMAN (voice-over): What if, once upon a time, there were no stars in the sky at all? What if the stars are not what we think? What if the light from afar doesn't come from the rays of distant suns but from our wings as we turn into angels? (quiet chatter) Destiny calls to each of us. And there is a world behind the world where we are all connected. All part of a great and moving plan. Magic is everywhere around us. You just have to look. Look. Look closely. For even time and distance are not what they appear to be. You stay in the rear of the queue until you're called. (indistinct conversations) (baby crying) (crying continues) MAN: Next. Sir, you're next. (distant coughing) (crying continues) WOMAN: I've got your wife's paperwork. The doctor will see you in just a moment. (breathing deeply) (creaking) (indistinct announcement over P.A.) MAN (voice-over): I'm sorry. You'll have to go back. What? (sighs) No. No. Why? We... It's pulmonary. (baby crying) (stammers) What about the baby? Is there place for him? If we have to go back, we leave him. I'm sorry. No, you do not understand. (crying continues) (indistinct announcement over P.A.) ANNOUNCER: First stop: Lynbrook. (ship creaking) (creaking continues) (sighs) WOMAN (voice-over): We are all connected. Each baby born carries a miracle inside. (crying) (whispering indistinctly) A unique purpose. And that miracle is promised to one person and one person alone. We are voyagers, set on a course towards destiny, to find the one person our miracle is meant for. But be warned. As we seek out the light, darkness gathers. (thunder rumbling) And the eternal contest between good and evil is not fought with great armies, but one life at a time. Able 2015 -Nowhere to hide, Pete! -Let's go! Stop right there! -(panting heavily) -Get back here, Pete! (grunting) (groaning, shouting) (panting continues) Pete, them was just orders! (panting, shouting continue) (panting) -(gun clicks) -No. Not like that. We have him now. Let's do it slowly... with the knives. MAN: Get him! -(horse snorts) -Horse. Horse. (sighs) (quietly): We got you now. Horse. (knife clangs on ground) (whinnies) Go, go, go! Go! Go! Go on, boy! (panting) Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa! No. Horse, come on. Other away. Other way! (indistinct shouting) What are you? (whinnying) He's got the goddamn horse. (men panting) (piano playing lively tune) Good afternoon. Uh, the butler told me I should leave my coat on. Mmm. We have fever in the house. Is it your... wife that needs spectacles, Mr. Penn? Dead. I'm sorry. It's eight years ago. Still, you never stop missing them. It's for my daughter. (piano continues playing) She'll be finished soon. It is nice, isn't it? Brahms. (door opens) Beverly, this man has come to make you some new glasses. (chuckles) Don't worry; it's not contagious. No, no, I... My sister, she had it. Oh, I'm sorry. Better this way or this way? How old was she? Your sister? 20... when she died. You never think you're as old as you're ever going to get. No, I... (sighs) I suppose not. This way or this? (whispering): First. The fever, it can make things wonderful. Even now, I can see winter as it turns around the room on the light, darting from white lances to rays to... silver crosses, to the... optical glass, to the... (sniffs) to the flames, to the reflective windows. And illuminating each of us. The sicker I become... ...the more clearly I can see that everything is connected by light. Do you have glasses for that? (indistinct conversations) (bell dinging) (indistinct announcements over P.A.) Hey, Cecil. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Yeah, he's something, isn't he? And, boy, can he jump. I want a saddle, oats, and I want a nice blanket for him, cashmere. He's the best duff you ever stole, Pete. Oh, he ain't duff, Cecil. He's me new partner. Aren't you, horse? You know, you can't keep hiding out up in the attic. -Why? -Word just went out. Pearly's tripled the reward. He's got his guys looking everywhere. Ugly son of a bitch. He found me this morning. Horse saved me life. I think I'll get out of town till summer. You know? Me and horse. Steal enough to get us by. Just let this whole thing blow over, you know? I don't see Pearly much as the "blowing over" kind. Yeah. That's 'cause you worry too much, Cecil. -(chuckles) -Just board him for me, will you? Thanks. Pete! You forgot your... change. I was wondering when you'd get here. ANNOUNCER: May I have your attention, please? Train number 43... (announcement continues indistinctly) (sniffs) (indistinct conversations) -Romeo. -Hey. MAN: Had a good night. MAN 2: There he is now. -(knocking) -Enter! The fire at St. Paddy's is set for Sunday Mass. That's not what matters to me. Put the word out to everyone-- 500 for his head. And the horse? The same. Seems like a lot for a horse. Well, that's because it's not a horse. It's a dog. You just said it was a... As far as we can tell, he hasn't left the city. Woola boys are watching all the bridges. New York's not that big. We'll find him. -You better. -I know, boss. People are scared and unhappy all over the city. Miracles are down by half. More, if you count Brooklyn. If you don't mind me asking, what's so special about Peter? You used to like him. Never met me a better thief. Why all of a sudden we got to kill him? Romeo, Romeo. Do you spend time wondering about the world? The workings of things? No, sir. Right. Well, better not to start now. Do you think I, uh, steal gold and gems for wealth? No. What makes these most precious, it's the way they accept the light. Peter Lake is human. But that horse... that horse might leave a trail. And Yahtzee! (chuckles) Grand Central Station. Let's go and kill him. And while we're at it, let's try and grab that horse. You just said it was a dog. Go and get the boys. Out of the way! Move! (dramatic music) (dramatic music continues) (creaks) (whispering): Hi. Hey. Everybody's all packed to go up to the lake tomorrow. I'll come up the next day, sweetheart. Daddy just has to get my tent ready. So you can stay cold? So I can stay cold. You can't die, Bev. Sweet girl, it's not up to me. GIRL: Tell me again. BEVERLY: There's this great dance, and we all have our part. And when we're done here, if it's after one life or a thousand... ...we rise up into the sky and we become stars. Tell me their names again. (sighs) Castor, Pollux, Capella. (clattering) It's a great night's work, my friend. (horse snorts) We head south to Florida. Or Maryland, maybe. That sounds like the kind of place you might like. (groans) (panting) All right, let's go. (whinnying) Horse. Hor... Horse. (snorting) Come on. Watch your step, now. That's a good girl. Horse, it's gonna be light soon. We need to get out of town. Pearly's got a hundred eyes looking after us. -Come on. -(snorts) Come on. Oy. You're just getting greedy now. Fine. But this is our last score. (sighs) Don't know who's a bigger fool: a horse who won't listen to his master or a master who listens to his horse. (panting) (panting continues) (water running, panting continues) (sighs) God, make me cold. (dogs barking in distance) (gun clicks) (chuckles softly) (sighs) Hello, you beauty. (floor creaks) (whispering): James, James the Lesser, -Bartholomew... -(creaks) (clicks) (piano playing lively tune) (gun clicks) (piano continues playing) (piano continues playing) (floorboard creaks) -(gasps) -(music stops) Squeaks. What? (creaking) It squeaks. Age. You have a gun. Right. What are you doing here? I was just robbing the place, you know. Or that was the idea, anyway. Is that still your intention? (stammering) (gun clicks) No. No, it isn't. Well, then... I suppose the polite thing to do would be to offer you a cup of tea. 1 (quietly): Wow. (tea pouring) (sighs) (coughs) You did understand the part about me coming here to steal from you, yeah? It's my father, technically. I broke in. Where? He takes epic measures to bar entry. Well, actually, you left the-the door to the roof wedged open. -So I just... -Did I? Yeah. I must stop doing that. Yeah. I mean, you should be scared. Well, I'm not. No, I can see that. (sniffs) The tea is... It's lovely. It's called Lapsang Souchong. It's black and from China. It's too hot for me to drink, but... the smell always reminds me of London. I've never been... to London. I didn't think so. No. (chuckles) I was born there. What's... What's wrong with you, if you don't mind me asking? Consumption. I'm 21, and I've never been kissed on the mouth. (laughing): Sorry, that came out wrong. I don't know anyone, you see. I can't go out. I can't dance. I sleep in a tent on the roof to keep my body temperature within reason. I have, maybe... according to one doctor who came up from Baltimore, a year and a half. In Boston, they said six months. But that was eight months ago, so really, I'm already two months dead. I'm Peter Lake. And where are you from, Peter Lake? A boat. (laughs) -A boat? -Yeah. I never knew my parents. Boat washed up ashore in Brooklyn. So I was told. And you steal things. I do steal things, yeah, from time to time. It wasn't always that way, though. I always wanted to be a mechanic. You know, I always had a knack for, uh, for fixing things, getting to the insides of things. Like safes. Well, that's how it ended up, anyways. Lately, I've been having a bit of a disagreement with an old boss. Should imagine disputes in your line of work are hard to settle. Challenging, yeah. What's the best thing you've ever stolen? I'm beginning to think I haven't stolen it yet. Aren't you the charmer. (chuckles) It's been lovely. Lovely to meet you, Peter Lake. Listen, I have to leave New York. A few months at most. Let that disagreement blow over. But maybe when I get back, I was wondering if... I'm going to the country myself. (chuckles) And by the time you get back, I'll already be dead. (laughs) Please don't steal anything on your way out. Horse. (panting) What have you gotten me into, horse? (loud, indistinct conversations) (conversations stop) Table, that one. Mr. Soames, sir. How many are you going to have? Just keep them coming. I'll tell you what they're trying to do. What they're trying to do is to fill the whole sky with stars. They got little spots all picked out up there for each and every virtuous soul. Ain't no room in the heavens for the likes of us, though, boys. (chuckles) No room for Pearly Soames. No room at all. I wonder how they choose the colour of their wings. I've always wanted wings. I'd like a pair of wings myself, you know? Anything more, sir? Oh, yes, please. I would like to have, eh, a South African spotted eagle owl. Eh, if you could butterfly it, thank you, and pan-fry it, eh, with some potatoes would be lovely. A little bit of parsley on top. Take off the beak and the feet, please. I'm sorry, sir. Don't got no owl. (onlookers gasping) Find her. You find her, and you're gonna find him. Find who? The girl. What girl? The red-haired girl. Which red-haired girl? That one. You see, Romeo? That red-haired girl. The one who is his destiny. That all of it, miss? All of it? (chuckles) No, not even close. 1 -What? -I just remembered the day we pulled you out of the drink in that silly little boat. I need some friendly advice. I met a girl. Oh, I see. -We've nothing in common. -Hmm. She's dying. Well, aren't we all? Well, not just dying. She's... She's consumptive. Ah. Near death. We've only just met. I feel like I've known her for a thousand years. Mmm. Pearly's on top of me. If I don't get out of town, I'm as good as killing myself. Peter, is there a question here? What should I do? When I think of her... (sighs) I've never felt this way before. Why now? Peter, our people have ten songs. The songs tell us that inside of each of us is a miracle. And that miracle is meant for one person and one person alone. And when we're close, the universe reaches down and helps us fulfil our destiny. And the universe helps us? How, exactly? Uh, the universe sends us spirit guides. Sometimes they speak to us through small children. They often appear as animals. One is Athansor. He's the Dog of the East. He sometimes appears as a white horse. (horse grumbles) Perhaps this girl is the person that your miracle is for. Yeah. But if so, know this: Chaos has agents, too. What are you talking about? God and the devil? Angels and demons? Those are some of the newer names, yes. All I know is that... (sniffs) I'm pulled to her like air when I'm under the water. So, what are you standing here talking to me for? Driver? I'm afraid he's become indisposed. Suddenly come into a small fortune by his standards, I imagine. Pearly Soames. And you might be? Beverly Penn. Beverly Penn. Well, Peter does like to reach above his station, doesn't he? And you've got a touch of the fever, haven't you, button? Already only half here. Interesting. You know Peter? Peter Lake? Know him? Oh, yes. We're associates, you might say. Well, past tense, anyway. The boy had such potential. Could he steal. Like art, like physics. I raised him as my own. I had him pegged to inherit the keys to the kingdom. But little Peter, he started to having ideas. There's how to steal a diamond brooch without spilling blood. Here's how to take a ring and leave the finger. But, you see, Beverly Penn, in my line, it's the ripples that give the work meaning. Ideas, they can do more good than harm. And that would be the opposite of the plan, you see. -(gasps) -It's doing harm that is the very point. You know, I might not go upstate until tomorrow. -Mmm. -It's no bother at all. I'd be very happy to pay you. Beautiful. -Sick. Too young to die. -I'm not afraid of you. I'm betting that you're who his miracle is for. My father has a strict policy when it comes to kidnappers, -so you won't get a penny of ransom. -He has to save you. And if you can't be saved by him, job's done. Mission accomplished. I love blood on the snow, Beverly Penn. Especially virginal blood. Unspoiled. Unmolested. Whoa, whoa. (sniffing) PETER: Beverly! (Peter grunts) No! (soft gasp) Hold on. Peter Lake. Go fast. Yes, clearly. BEVERLY: We can't outrun them forever. PETER: I know. We have to get above the city. BEVERLY: Go north along the river. Peter! That's way too far down. -PETER: Hold on. -Hold on? Hold on! Peter... Peter, wait! (whoosh) (soft gasping) (distorted whooshing) (neighs) How is that even possible? I don't know. This horse. (wind whistling softly) We can't follow them up there. Why not? The rules. A little dispute a couple hundred years ago. Shortsighted. Well, we almost had him. Almost is not good enough, Romeo. Do you want the job or not, Dingy? (two gunshots) (horse neighs) I need to see the judge. (panting) -(panting) Are you all right? All the excitement, then... your condition. I'm perfect. Good. Head upriver. (children's happy shouts, chatter) Beverly! Thank you. -Okay? -Yes. -(playful shouts, laughter) -Hello, little one. (Beverly laughs) (indistinct chatter, laughter in distance) BEVERLY: Mmm. I've only known the city. It's called the Lake of the Coheeries. I've been coming here since I was a little girl. My father says nothing happens here that isn't supposed to. Hello. Hi. I'm Willa. Willa. How are you, Willa? WILLA: Are you Beverly's... boyfriend? (laughs) Come on. Let's go inside. I'm sure Father will have something to say about the matter. (exhales) Do you take wine with your meals? Sometimes. That's good. We'll have wine tonight. Okay. Would claret be all right with you? Anything. But, uh, don't you pronounce it... "claray"? No. Claret. You pronounce the "T," just as in "filet." Filet. Always thought it was "filay." No, it's filet. Just as in "wallet." You don't say "wallay," do you? You say "wallet." I see. (logs crackling softly in fireplace) (sniffs) You know what? Sir? You look like a crook. Who are you? What do you do? What is your relationship to Beverly? Are you aware of her special condition? What are your motivations, intentions and desires? Tell the absolute truth; don't elaborate. Stop if a neighbour, child or servant comes in, and be brief. Be brief? These are complicated questions. You can be brief. If you were one of my journalists, you'd be finished by now. God created the world in six days. Ape him. (laughs) I'll try. It's unnecessary. -All right. -Unnecessary. My name is Peter Lake. You're right, I'm a thief; and I'm a damn good one. I love Beverly. Our relationship goes by no name. I have no intentions. I desire her, and I am moved by love. -Do you understand? -How do I know that you're not moved by vanity or curiosity? How do I know that you're not here for the money in this family? I was an orphan; orphans don't have vanity. I'm not quite sure why, but one needs parents to be vain. And the money? I wouldn't take a penny from you, for a start. I would accept no favours, not even a kind word said on my behalf. And of her condition? I've never loved much before... so death... hasn't been something to be avoided. But now, when I think of losing her... Is it possible to love someone so completely they simply can't die? No. But I'm a thief... as you so keenly observed. Can't I steal just one life? (sighs) Well, we'll see about you. Does that mean I might try some of that claret now? Let's both, shall we? One more thing. She sleeps in her tent on the roof. And you do not. (distant, indistinct chatter) PETER: Some locals found me while they were digging up clams. Spent a few years on the bounce from orphanage to orphanage. Just got on better on the streets, I suppose. BEVERLY: What did you do? To live, I mean. I danced and sang in the streets for coins. Picked pockets. (chuckles): I lived with two girls for a while. -Two? -Two. Aren't you the playboy. Ah, it wasn't like that. Mostly. I was young, and then Pearly scooped me up. He said I had talent. I take it, it wasn't for your singing. (sighs) It's not working, is it? You're not getting any cooler. No. (chuckles): Here, let me try something. Come here. (whispers): Actually, this isn't helping. Can you hear your heart? When the fever comes, it's about the only thing I can hear. When you go to crack your first safe, your heart beats so loud you can't hear the tumblers. You have to learn to quieten it, slow it down, so you can work between the beats. The trick to it is lists. Meaningless words... you say as you exhale to slow down the breath. Inhale quietly... exhale and say the words until the breath is gone. Got it? -I think so. -Okay. Do you need a list? Uh, animals are good. Colours. Saints. (inhales) (exhales) Castor. Pollux. Capella. Ursa Major. Ursa Minor. Polaris. (snow crackling) (Peter laughs softly) -(whispers): Peter. -(laughs) It's working. Go on. (inhales, exhales) (sniffs) Pleiades. Perseus. (whispers): Cassiopeia. (panting) Hello. Those are mine. The paper, too. Yeah, I figured as much. I couldn't sleep. I like to draw by the moon. See, I'm not very good, and the light helps hide it. -Is it Beverly? -Yeah, I don't know anyone else with red hair. Do you love her? (chuckles): With all my heart. Do you swear? (sniffs) I swear. Okay. Come with me. It's a princess bed. I made the neighbour boys make it for her. They listen to me. Daddy told me a story about a princess who died... and a kiss that made her not dead anymore. If you kiss her here, she won't die. I know it. Okay? Say "okay." Okay. Okay. You can put me to bed now. Pearly Soames. (loud, metallic creaking) I have an appointment. (faint, eerie voices echoing) (faint, eerie voices continue echoing) JUDGE (distorted): Hello, Pearly. Eh, hello, Your Honour. Sir. Oh, of course. PEARLY: Eh... I'm here to request special dispensation regarding the boundaries of jurisdiction. (undistorted): Proceed. I'd like permission to travel north of the city, Your Honour. Well, that is quite a request, Pearly, considering what happened last time. Well, you know, it was a misunderstanding. Yeah. Well, demon, let's get this over with. Pearly Soames, Warden of Manhattan and the Five Burroughs, on what grounds do you make this request? I've come to believe that a human is on the verge of using his miracle, which would be a formidable advancement for the other side. Evidence? The presence of guardian angels, Your Honour. Both the White Dog of the East and Cecil Mature. -What else? -Well, I've had a vision. A red-haired girl I've drawn in a fugue with the blood of a virgin. Pearly, that could be anyone. (chuckles): Okay, Lu, I mean he's already been seen with a girl matching that exact description. -(Judge clears throat) -Um... Uh... She's dying. And he loves her? Purely, entirely, and with all his heart. So you believe it is his miracle to save her. -I do, sir. Yes, Your Honour, I do. -A man's destiny -is often not what it seems. -I understand that, sir, I do, I do, I understand that, but I... (laughs) I, uh... I have a feeling about this one, you know. You trained him... picked him up off the street. The son you never had. Embarrassing, no? Shit happens. Your Honour, I just need the permission to go north. (exhales) Denied. This one is too personal. Your prohibition from the northern territories is upheld. Lucifer! I need to stop this one! Now! Now? You have no idea what "now" is. Now I was flying. Now I breathed fire and I ate them as they fled. Now I whipped my tail and the winds trembled. Now I am hidden in this pale shade of flesh and bone. Now I am witness to man's eternal salvation. Now I am witness to his demise. Do not speak to me of time, demon! Its simplest ebbs and turns elude your meagre understanding! Find another way! (growls): Now! (birds chirping) (laughs) Let me take you dancing. How about New Year's Eve? Can you? Dance, I mean. I have done, a bit. -(Beverly laughs softly) -Some. Well, I know them all. From books, anyway. It seems wonderful. So it's sorted, then. I can't, Peter. Is it me? 'Cause I'm not a gentleman with a driver and the right clothes? You know it's not that. What, then? Well, my father says that dancing... -will kill me. -Ah. Fathers are overprotective. Coat stays on. We're all to go next door for an afternoon peppermint. What is it? What's wrong? -(loud boom) -It's been happening all afternoon. It has something to do with the furnace. Your father's been down there for an hour with the mechanic. He sent the rest of the staff to the Gamelys' and asked that you join them right away. Now, Willa, please. Go on next door, Bev. I'll, uh, see if I can help them out downstairs. Miss, the little one. Miss! (loud boom) (rhythmic rumble, clanking) She's jammed up. -Let me take a look. -We're in the red already. You should go next door. What about you? This thing sounds like it's about to blow sky-high. Go down with the ship, as it were. Yeah, it's a house, not a ship. My wife made this place. She picked every stitch of furniture, every pillow, every sconce and window frame. -Wouldn't do to leave it. -(loud rumbling) Listen, you should go now. Winston, go, go. Now you. The steam can't come. Are you mad? Just wait. I have a sympathy for complex systems. How things go together and come apart, you know? Like locks. (yells in pain) Just need to feel for the connection. That pipe's too hot. Avoid it, avoid it. Aha? Ah! (rhythmic rumbling, clanking) This one's blocked. Means the problem's before it. (strained grunt) It's stuck. (clanking grows louder) Uh-oh. "Uh-oh"? -Oops. -"Oops"?! (rhythmic rumbling, clanking growing louder) (grunting) (both grunting) (loud grunting) (loud explosion) (explosion's echo fading) (gasps) (panting) (exhales) (panting) (chuckles) Am I light or heavy? (chuckles): Light as a feather. Good night, Peter Lake. Good night, little Willa. (exhales) My father says you saved all our lives. No, he's overstating things. It was... it was just him and the furnace man's. And yours. Yeah, and mine, too, I suppose. Thursday is New Year's Eve. I'd like to go dancing. MAN: You take great risk coming to me for this. PEARLY: You owe me, angel. And this is me calling in my marker. You know I cannot directly intervene. Relax, flyboy. It just makes the heart beat a little faster. Someone would have to be real excited to experience any deleterious effects. You know the rules. Debts... must be paid. And then ours is settled. Then we're square. Yes, indeed. You're a good man yourself. Well done. I've been wondering. With all these trying to go up... and you come down. Was it worth it... becoming human? Or was it an impulse buy? You must miss the wings, right? Oh, come on, you must. -(indistinct chatter, laughing) BEVERLY: You look good in that suit. (laughs) You... are impossibly beautiful. (whispers): So are you. (laughs): Stop it. Or I'll melt all the snow I'm standing on. Give me a chance, and you'll melt all the snow in the world. (whispers): Come on. My mother always said that it was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. (orchestra playing waltz) -Shall we? -Yes. (waltz continues playing) 1 (waltz ends) (people clapping) Shh. (waltz begins) (waltz continues playing) 1 1 (Beverly laughs softly) (waltz ends) (muted clapping, chatter) (horse neighs nearby) You're late. I'm sorry. If you don't make love to me now, no one ever will. (whispers): That's exactly what I'll do, then. (laughs softly) (panting) (panting) (laughs softly) (panting) (laughs) (whispers): Places. What, love? Places we've been. What do you mean? (exhales, inhales) Beverly. Beverly? Beverly? Beverly? Beverly? Beverly? (shuddering breath) No, no, no, no, no, no. No. Beverly. Baby. (trembling): This isn't right. This isn't right. (Peter breathing heavily) (Peter grunts) (grunts, pants) Beverly, Beverly... Beverly... baby... don't leave me. (whispers): Please don't go. (sniffling, crying) (continues crying, sniffling) (sobbing) 1 1 1 1 1 1 (whispers): I'm sorry. DINGY (voice-over): They spotted him. Otter did. -Peter Lake, I mean. He... he's back. -Where? He was over at a graveyard in Queens burying some girl, and then he went back to Grand Central for his horse. -Do they still have him? -Well, that's just the thing. They... they can't lose him; they're... -they're just walking. -(growls): Just walking? Let's go for a little walk ourselves... with little Peter Lake. (horse whinnying) It's all right, horse. I know they're coming for us. (pants) (horse whinnies) -A fight will do us good. -PEARLY: You failed. You couldn't save her. Your beloved redhead girl. (chuckles) Was she gonna be somebody important? The president? The Pope? The great-grandmother of the first man on Mars? Or was it something simpler? That she was capable of great love? The kind of love that makes the world all warm and light, and gives the others hope. The kind of love that tilts the scales. Well, it doesn't matter. She's dead. Cold, dead and already in the ground. Quit me? You don't quit me, boy. I've been blackening souls and crushing miracles for longer than I can remember. Do you ever ask yourself why the universe goes to all this trouble to help you fulfil your destiny, and then throws me in your path? Maybe it's because God is just as bloodthirsty as the rest of us. Maybe... he doesn't like eternal benevolence and light. Maybe... he just likes a good fight. Pearly Soames, I have no real idea what you're talking about, but I tell you one thing: It's an awful shame your daddy didn't do a better job on your neck with that soda bottle. Is that right, little Peter Lake? Well, let's see what we're going to do with you. (excited chatter) Come on, come on! Move it! Stop right there! (neighs) (men yelling) -Come on, Pete! -PETER: How are you, lads? -(grunts) -(neighs) -Skin that White Dog alive. -No! -(bola whooshes) -(neighing) -Bring in the net! -Let's go! (neighing) (grunts) (grunting) Get him! PETER: I want you to go. -(man yells) -(neighs) (horse huffs) Horse, go! -(men gasping) -PEARLY: Hold, boys. Horse! (whinnies) (quietly): Horse. (panting) Go. (low grunt) Go. (men gasping) PEARLY: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Well, well, well. (pants, sniffs) (groans) (panting) (panting) (coughing, panting) (crow cawing in distance) MAN: Hey, pal. You looking for someone in particular? I... I don't know. I can't remember. I can't remember anything. BEVERLY (voice-over): When true love is lost, life can bleed of all meaning. We are left blank. But the possibility of destiny remains. What we are meant for may yet be discovered. And once in a very long while, that journey to find our destiny may defeat even time itself. (panting) (people chatter) (panting) (quietly): Who are you? 1 (birds chirp) (quietly): Pete, here's your change. (coin ringing) (both grunt) (gasps) I smashed into you. You did. (chuckles): You all right? (panting) Am I light or heavy? (chuckles): Light as a feather. I'm Abby. What's your name? I don't know. (laughs): Everybody knows their name. Not me. ABBY: You're silly. Look. There's a star. Even the stars have names. What? The stars. I just can't remember them. (whispers): Castor. Abby. Nice to meet you. Sorry. (horn honks in distance) (man speaking indistinctly over P.A.) (door creaking) (distorted ringing) (whispers): That son of a bitch. He can't still be alive. (passing horn honks) (indistinct chatter) Romeo, find this man. Cesar. Romeo was my grandfather. Cesar... drop everything else. Find this man. Boss, this is, like, a hundred years old. Do I, uh, strike you as a man who wouldn't know that? No, sir, I-I didn't... I'm sorry, sir, I didn't... Remember I told you how I killed your grandfather? Sorry, sir. Find that man. Find him. (door creaks) We may have killed the wrong redhead. Isaac Penn, please. The woman out front said he was back here. This is the Isaac Penn Reading Room. Yeah, I mean, I'd-I'd-I'd like to speak with him if I could. Be a neat trick. Penn's been dead 90 years. (chuckles) There's a theatre on, uh, Hudson Street called the Theatre of the Coheeries. Could you, uh, tell me if you have any information on it, please? -(typing) -Isaac Penn donated it. Nope. I see it here, but the information on it hasn't been catalogued from the microfiche. Okay, might I see them, please? These, uh, microfiche. Sure, two forms of I.D., fill this out, two-week approval period, and you can search back there to your heart's delight. Can I just...? I mean... I'm sorry, I can't help you. There's so many regulations these days. Hi. I'm Virginia Gamely. Hi. Peter Lake. -Hi. -Hi. Do I know you from somewhere? I don't think so, no. -Hmm. -No. Although I-I can't be sure. I've had no memory for as... for as long as I can remember. Oh. Maybe there was a... once a-a blow on the head, although I can't find a scar, and the whole world has... seemed like a deep fog... that's just now beginning to lift, although not fast enough for my liking. I-I've become convinced that if I could just learn what this Coheeries is, it may help jog my memory, but now they're telling me I have to wait two weeks and... and I have to have two forms of I.D. that I don't have just to even get back there, although I have a growing suspicion that I may be able to get to what I need faster as soon as everybody goes home for the night. If only I knew what a... what a microfiche looked like. You know, places like this have all sorts of security systems. Well, somehow I find myself undaunted. Well, you're in luck. I work here, so I don't need any approvals. Isn't that right, Jack? Reporters come and go as they please, Ms. Gamely. There you go. I appreciate the help. I wasn't having any luck anyway. What were you looking for? A cure for cancer, I suppose. So... this should go... here. And... Aw. Wait a sec. Let me see. Thought you didn't even know what microfiche were. I just got a knack with machines. Try it now. Well, that's not a theatre. Damn. Guess it's mislabelled. Coheeries isn't a theatre. It's a town. (microfiche clicks, whooshes) Oh. That's old man Penn. She played Brahms. (microfiche clicks, whooshes) (crying) Beverly. Her name was... Her name was Beverly. (microfiche clicks, whooshes) (Peter crying) (exhales) That's... (crying) (exhales) It can't be. Your father? (crying) What's happening here? She's dead. She's long gone. They're all dead a hundred years. (whispering): Not all of them. 1 WOMAN: Yes? Hi. Um, my name is Virginia Gamely. Uh, I work here. Yes? I write the food column. Yes? Is she in? Do you have an appointment that I'm not aware of, Ms. Gamely? Thank you, Mr. Ambassador. I'm glad we could come to an understanding. Thank you. I think I'll have a milk shake for lunch, Marge. Do you think Dr. Levi would kill me? Chocolate with whipped cream. Ms. Penn? (whispering): Willa. Little Willa. (Peter and Willa chuckle) Peter Lake. It's right up there. Where did you find him? (chuckles) I think he found me. How is this really possible? Well, in a life this long, you do see things-- things that don't always add up to the world we think we know. Hmm. I've always held on to that table. Nothing special, can't say why. He loved my sister terribly. She was like a bright light. How did she die? Consumption. The night she... she died... The night she died, I-I searched the sky for her. And I found her there in Orion's Belt, I think. She used to say that, when we finished our work on Earth, we would fly up and become stars. What work? She was 21. How could she have possibly been finished? Why am I still alive? Well, I look at you, Peter, unchanged after all these years. Maybe there's something you are still meant to do. What? (chuckles) I have no idea. May I make you some tea? Please. Thank you for bringing me back here. I have a feeling we won't see each other again, will we? It's poor manners to talk back to your elders. Technically I think I'm still older than you. (chuckles) No... I have a feeling we won't. Good-bye, Peter Lake. Good-bye, little Willa. I'm looking forward to your next recipe, young lady. I rather like pecans. I have to pick up my daughter at 3:30. So, um... I live down on Twelfth Street. I've got a chicken... if you like chicken. I would like that, but, um, well, I have a few things -I need to... -Okay. -Okay. -Hey. Take care. -Thank you. -Yeah. Tell the boss that we found him. (sniffs) PEARLY: How is he still alive? What are we talking about here, Lu? We're talking about what we are always talking about: stars in the sky. Miracles. I stopped him from saving her. Pearly. Not his miracle. Hers. What? You were so fixated on stopping him, you missed her entirely. She made him love her so much that he could not die. He was her miracle. I want to kill him, and I want him to stay dead. I want him turned into snow and scattered to the four winds. Hmm, older rules would apply. You would be fighting as a mortal. That's rather extreme, don't you think? I'll tell you something that should chill your blood. No matter how far we tip the scales our way, no matter how many of them we turn dark, nothing seems to break their capacity for hope. They pass it back and forth like the flu at a preschool fair. We're losing, Lucifer. One bright star at a time, we're losing. You will have to say the words, Pearly. (swallows) Right. I, Pearly Soames, Demon Enforcer of the Five Boroughs, Black Knight of the Armies of the Fallen, and faithful and willing servant to Lucifer-- your good self-- hereby request that the loser of the fight between the human Peter Lake and myself die the one true death. Reconsider. No. Last chance, Pearly. Granted. Pearly. Watch out for the starlight. What are you talking about, Lu? Be careful. I would hate to lose you. Why? You get used to people. 1 Did you try the Brussels sprouts yet? I'm not really that hungry, Mom. Just try to eat something, baby, okay? Okay. Here you go. -Mama. -Yes, baby. Where do you think we go when we die? Come here. (sighing) (buzzes) (panting) -VIRGINIA (over intercom): Hello. You said Twelfth Street, and you're the only Gamelys on Twelfth Street, and I do like chicken. (panting) (buzzing) (door opens) (door closes) You floated here in a boat? That's what I was told. VIRGINIA: We have chocolate, strawberry and pistachio. Pistachio? Pistachio? -She hates vanilla. -I hate vanilla. Mama. (gasps, grunts) Lay her down. Hey, baby. All right. Relax, relax, relax. Mama's here. It's all right. It's all right, darling. Mama's here. She gets seizures. She'll sleep now. (whispering): Abby has red hair. We have to go now. No. There's nowhere to go. The girl in the pictures, the girl I've been drawing-- it was her all along. She has cancer, Peter. Her doctors say she's dying. I think I know how to save her. They said only a miracle. Me. (exhales sharply) (chuckling): That's why I stayed alive. For her. (chuckles) I'm her miracle. (exhales sharply) This is crazy. (thudding) (both breathing heavily) I can save her. I know I can. (buzzing) Virginia, we have to go. There are men coming, and they mean to harm me, and I think they mean to harm Abby, too. Trust me, please. (gasps) There's a horse on the roof. There is. (Peter grunts, pants) (whinnies) Hello, my old friend. It's been a very long time. (snorts) (panting) (banging loudly) Give her to me. (banging continues, Pearly grunts) Come on. (banging continues) -You know where to go, horse. -What? PETER: Shh. Let him do the math. (Virginia screaming) (whimpers) (laughs) (tyres screeching) (dramatic music) (dramatic music continues) 1 Okay. How is she? Still sleeping. (grunts) (whispering): Hey. Hey. (Peter and Virginia panting) VIRGINIA: Coheeries. It looks forgotten. Come on, this way. (panting): What about those, uh... whoever they were? Christ. I don't think they can follow us up here. You don't "think"? That's reassuring. -No, I'm fairly sure. -(vehicles rumbling) (gasps softly) Rules change. (car doors closing) Little Peter wants to save someone. But I want to fight. Good to see you, Peter. In fairness, I can't say the same thing about you, Pearly. (Pearly chuckles) Well... it seems I got my redheads mixed up. Honest mistake. I'll fix it. There's 20 of us... and there's just the one of you. There'll be no miracles tonight. And her destiny... is getting skewered. -(whinnies) -Horse. (whispers): I suppose you know what to do, horse. (neighs) (distorted ringing) PEARLY: Always a coward, that White Dog! Boys. Why do you do it, Pearly? -Do you even know? -I know my destiny, and it's high time you met yours. (panting) (faint, distorted ring) -Off the ice! -(others yelling) (ice rumbles) -(ice crackling) -Hang on! (men shouting, screaming) Right, then. (both grunting) (chuckles) (both grunting) (growls) (grunting continues) (growls) (pensive music) (pensive music continues) (faint ringing) (grunts) (gasping) (panting) (grunts) (gagging) (crackling) (panting) Abby? (sobs softly) Abby. Oh, Jesus, no. (panting) (sobbing softly) (panting) A bed of wishes made a hundred years ago by a little girl who's now an old woman. A bed made to save a girl with flaming red hair from dying too young. A place made for a miracle. Now, I'm just a mechanic, but what are we if not machines? Machines that need a little help from the universe to run. Abby. Is this why we love at all? To save? You were always the one, weren't you? Please, you were always the one I was meant to save. Come back. Please come back. (sobs softly) (sobs): No. (sobs softly) (Virginia sobbing) Mama? (gasps) Why is everybody crying? (panting) Did I get sick and pass out again? (sobbing) Yes, Abby. (sniffles) But you're better now. (laughing) BEVERLY (voice-over): Why would so many things conspire to save one little girl's life? But what if it wasn't just Abby? What if she is no more or less special than any of us? What if we are all unique and the universe loves us all equally? So much so that it bends over backwards across the centuries for each and every one of us. And sometimes we are just lucky enough to see it. (horse neighs) BEVERLY (voice-over): No life is more important than another. And nothing has been without purpose. Nothing. What if we are all part of a great pattern that we may someday understand? And one day, when we have done what we alone are capable of doing, we get to rise up and reunite with those we have loved the most, forever embraced. What if we get to become stars? www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Able 2015