| EXT. KHAO SAN ROAD. DAY.
Richard lights up and looks around.
He looks through the tapes at a stall.
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR. DAY
Richard walks along the corridor towards his room, his new tape
playing on his walkman.
On his door, a folded sheet of paper is attached with a pin.
Richard lifts it off and unfolds it.
It is a detailed and carefully drawn map of a cluster of islands.
Some are named. One is unnamed. On it, some features are marked;
hills, forest, river and a letter X.
In the corner it reads "X = beach".
Richard switches his Walkman off.
He studies the map then walks to Daffy's door and knocks.
No reply.
Richard twists the handle and pushes gently. The door opens.
INT DAFFY'S ROOM. DAY.
The room is dim, be even so the blood can be seen sprayed and
smeared around the walls, sheets and floor.
There is no sign of Daffy.
Richard treads carefully, avoiding the pools of blood on the
floor.
He reaches the other side of the room. There, wedged in the narrow
gap between bed and wall, is Daffy's corpse. His wrists have been
cut.
Richard studies the map again.
RICHARD (V.O.)
You hope and you dream, but you never believe that something's
going to happen for you, not like it does in the movies. And when
it does, you sort of expect it to feel different. More visceral.
More real. Like IMAX maybe. I was waiting for it to hit me, but
it didn't. And just for the record, I never did get my ten dollars
back.
Richard switches his walkman back on.
INT. POLICE STATION. DAY.
In an office, two policemen, one in UNIFORM and the other a DETECTIVE,
stand over Richard while he signs a statement.
RICHARD (V.O.)
The police didn't want to waste any time on it. They were just
pissed off becase he was traveling on a false passport, name of
Mr Daffy
Duck, birthplace Ruritania, which kind of fucked up all the paperwork.
They pulled everyone in from the hotel, but all they wanted form
me was a statement saying I found him and it looked like he cut
his wrists. No problem.
The detective studies Richard's passport.
DETECTIVE
What are you doing in Thailand? Tourist?
RICHARD
Traveler.
DETECTIVE
You go to Patpong? See smoke from pussy, ping pong ball from
pussy, razor blade from pussy; bird from pussy.
RICHARD
I don't think so.
DETECTIVE
Why not? Thai girls best in the world. Thai food best in the
world. Thai dope best in the world.
RICHARD
I wouldn't know anything about that, sir.
INT. POLICE STATION CORRIDOR. DAY
The door of the office opens and Richard walks out.
Lined up in the corridor, slouching against the walls, are several
other travelers from the hotel. At the front of the queue are Francoise
and Etienne.
The officer beckons Etienne into the office and closes the door.
Richard and Francoise acknowledge each other with a smile.
INT. RICHARD'S HOTEL ROOM. DAY.
Richard is seated at the top of his bed, addressing his speech
out of shot while he holds the map.
RICHARD
OK, this island may not actually exist. And even if it does,
we might not be able to get there. But look at it like this: what
else is there to do around here?
Richard is alone.
RICHARD
(continuing)
So what do you think? Are you going to come or not. I'd be thrilled
if you'd join me, you and your…you and your boyfriend.
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR. DAY
Richard knocks on his neighbors' door.
Etienne opens it.
RICHARD
Hi. You want to take a hike? I mean a trip. A journey. With your
girlfriend and me. I mean the two of you, and me. It's a secret
island. Paradise. You know the kind of thing I'm talking about.
Francoise appears behind Etienne.
FRANCOISE
Hi.
RICHARD
Hi there. Here, take a look.
He shows Etienne the map.
RICHARD
(continuing)
It's a map. The dead guy left it for me; I think it's the place
he tried to sell you. It's going to be just fucking great. You want
to come? I'd be thrileld if…
Francoise and Etienne are looking at him.
RICHARD (V.O.)
I realized that I had absolutely no idea of how I was going to
get there.
EXT. RAILWAY/THAI COUNTRYSIDE. NIGHT.
A train travels at night alongside fields.
INT. TRAIN. NIGHT
Richard is awake. Opposite him, Etienne and Francoise are slumped
together in sleep.
RICHARD (V.O.)
Etienne, however, and I have to hand it to the guy, was fucking
great. He organized the whole thing: tickets, timetables, best route,
the whole damn trip.
EXT. SEA. DAY.
The bow of a passenger ferry crashes through a wave.
EXT. BOAT DAY.
The decks are crowded with travelers and their packs. Amongst
them are Richard, Francoise, and Etienne. Maps and guidebooks are
being studied by many. The noise of the engines and the wind deters
conversation.
RICHARD (V.O.)
Thanks to him we hit the final stop on the tourist trail inside
twenty-four hours, where, Etienne assured me, we would hire what
he called a "local fisherman" to take us on the last stage
of our journey.
INT EXT. TRUCK. DAY
Inside back of a covered, converted pick-up, four people are
seated down each side, amongst them Richard, Francoise, and Etienne.
Behind them as they bump along, can be seen the dusty red road
bordered with dense green shrubs.
The truck stops.
EXT. ROAD. DAY.
Richard unloads the final of the three rucksacks from the roof
of the truck, passing it down to Etienne who stands at the back
with Francoise.
The truck pulls away, revealing as sign, "Seashell Bungalows".
EXT. BUNGALOW. DAY.
A simple wooden shack on stilts, one of several standing in a
line at the edge of the beach. There is a small porch to the front.
INT. BUNGALOW. DAY
A spartan room: bed, mosquito nets, chair, cupboard, fan.
Richard dumps his rucksack.
Ext. SEA/BEACH. DAY.
A long inflatable tube is towed past by a motorboat, its passengers
whooping with delight.
As it passes, Francoise is revealed, standing in the water, looking
in towards the shore. She begins to walk in.
On the beach there are sunbathers, games of beach volley ball,
and vendors selling food and sunglasses.
RICHARD (V.O.)
This was just the kind of place I didn't want to hang around.
Not that it's lacking in comfort. Quite the opposite. It's got everything.
Everything you could possibly need to make you feel at home. And
what's the point of that.
On the beach Francoise picks up a towel.
EXT. BEACH RESTAURANT. DAY.
The restaurant fronts on to the beach. At the back there is a
bar.
Richard sits alone at a table with a drink, watching the scene
on the beach, including Francoise.
Etienne pulls up a chair and sits down.
Francoise will join them as the dialogue proceeds.
ETIENNE
It's arranged. Tomorrow morning. Eight hundred baht.
RICHARD
Nice work.
ETIENNE
There is one problem.
Etienne opens the map on the table.
ETIENNE
He will not take us to the island. It's in the National Park
and it is forbidden to go there. But we are allowed to travel to
this one to stay for one night.
RICHARD
That's the wrong one.
ETINENNE
I know that.
Francoise sits down with a drink.
RICHARD
So from there to there?
FRANCOISE
We swim.
RICHARD
Swim?
ETIENNE
We leave our rucksacks on this island and then we swim.
FRANCOISE
You can swim?
RICHARD
Yes, of course I can swim. How far do you think it is?
ETIENNE
One or two kilometers.
RICHARD
Oh. Great. Not far at all. I don't like to be negative, but do
you think we should let someone know where we're going?
ETIENNE
Why?
RICHARD
We're going to swim "one or two kilometers" across
open sea, from one uninhabited island to another. Something goes
wrong. What then?
FRANCOISE
Have you told someone?
RICHARD
No.
FRANCOISE
I think it's a bad idea to tell anyone.
ETIENNE
Richard, it's secret. That's the whole point.
RICHARD
Yeah, OK. Foreget it. We won't tell anyone.
Richard picks up the map
EXT. BUNGALOW. DAY
Richard sits on his veranda, under cover. Beyond him is a tropical
downpour.
He hears two sets of footsteps rushing up the stairs of the next
door bungalow. Two men, Americans, Zeph and Sammy, try to open their
door but cannot.
ZEPH
Fuck, I knew we locked it. We should have left it unlocked.
Sammy addresses Richard
SAMMY
We lost our key
RICHARD
Where did you lose it?
ZEPH
On the beach. Or in the water.
SAMMY
The truth is we don't know.
RICHARD
You try reception?
ZEPH
Closed. Back later. We hope.
RICHARD
Pretty annoying
SAMMY
It's a disaster, to which there is only one sensible, considered,
appropriate, and timely response.
EXT. BUNGALOW. NIGHT.
All three are stoned. A joint is passed around while Zeph sings
badly.
ZEPH
I smoke two joints in the morning, and I smoke two joints at
night, and I smoke two joints in the afternoon, and then I feel
alright. I smoke two joints in time of peace, and two in time of
war. I smoke two joints before I smoke two joints and then I smoke
some more. I can't remember the rest.
RICHARD
Perhaps you smoked too much dope.
ZEPH
Not possible
SAMMY
Do you know the Kentucky friend mouse story?"
RICHARD
Woman bites chicken leg, turns out to be a mouse. Or a rat. It's
an urban myth.
SAMMY
Exactly. Always happened to someone else.
RICHARD
So?
SAMMY
So there's an urban myth, well more of a rural myth, going around
here at the moment. It's about a beach.
RICHARD
Uh-huh.
ZEPH
Yea. This beach is perfect. It's on an island, right, hidden
from the sea. Imagine: pure white sand and enough dope to smoke
all day every day for the rest of your life. Only a few know exactly
where it is and they won't tell anyone.
SAMMY
Of course no one's actually ever met any of these people, only
met someone who has. You know what I mean. It's a Kentucky fried
mouse.
RICHARD
I hadn't heard that one before. But it's good. It's a good story.
A torch shines on them, jolting them into some sort of reaction
and a woman's voice calls out.
THAI WOMAN
Hey, you! I got your key!
INT. BUNGALOW. DAY
Richard's rucksack is packed an by the door.
Richard is sitting copying Daffy's map on to another sheet of
paper. He finishes and writes a note on the copy.
He puts the original in his pack and lifts it.
EXT. BUNGALOW. DAY.
Richard hops over the fence to the veranda of Zeph and Sammy's
bungalow.
He slips the folded copy under their door.
He looks around to check that he has not been seen.
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