"Monte, you know that dancehall gal, Miss Gussy?" "The one that runs the saloon in all your books?" "I do." "I'm surprised she and Jubal never got together." "Tell you the truth, I was surprised too." "But then, who among us truly knows the ways of love?" "You got that right, sir." " Mama." " Yes?" "I don't wanna paint anymore." "Okay, birthday girl." "What do you wanna do?" "I wanna go jump." "Go jump." "However, we cannot leave Mr. Wildhorn half done." "Thank you." "Listen, lady, I gotta be outta here by 3:00." "It was my understanding I had you for the entire day." "Yeah, well, I got a 4:00 on the other side of the lake." "Mama, look what I made for Flora." "I'm testing it for her." "Oh, okay." "Take it easy with that." "Be careful with that, Finn, okay?" "I don't wanna see any one-eyed daughters." "Okay '" "Oh, excuse me." "Jack, where are you?" "It started over an hour ago." "All right, hang on." "Hey, Flora." "Hey, honey." "It's Daddy for you." "Yay" "He's not coming." "I don't know why I'm always surprised." "I just..." "I guess I keep hoping for the sake of the girls." "Daddy's not coming." "Oh, hey, baby girl, let's go jump." "I don't wanna jump." "Dad said it would be okay if I came up to stay with him." "Willow, we are not doing this again." "There's nothing for me to do here." "All my friends are in the city." "You know, he can't even show up for his own daughter's birthday party." "Maybe he just didn't want to see you." "That's enough." "Why don't I just go and talk to Flora for a minute?" "Okay '" "I'm looking for the birthday girl." "You know where I can find her?" "I'm the birthday girl." "Oh, good." "'Cause I got something for you." "What is it?" "It's your birthday present." "I think it's here." "Where'd I put it?" "Ah, there it is." "Happy birthday." "What is it?" "It's a story." "About what?" "About an elephant named Tony." "Well, he said he was a friend of yours, and he asked me to write it down for him." "Is Tony a real elephant?" "Yes, ma'am, he sure is." "Thank you so much!" "Mom!" "Look what I got!" "Man, that is one hot lady." "If she was my woman, I'd never let her leave the bed." "You know what I'm talking about." "Time to go to work." "Hey, you like magic tricks?" "I'll do one for ya." "Can you make yourself disappear, Mr. Clown?" "Don't call me "Mr. Clown."" "I happen to be The Amazing Ted." "Whatever you say, Mr. Clown." "Asshole." "You got my name right." "It's magic time!" "Hey!" "Come on, kids." "Gather 'round." "Magic time!" "Pay close attention, because at no point do my hands ever leave my arms." "Huh?" "Now who here likes rabbits?" "I do!" "It slipped." "Son of a bitch!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "You spoiled little brat!" "Hey!" "That castle's how I make my living." " Jesus Christ!" " Help, Mom!" "Everybody get away from there before you make it worse!" "Somebody get that fat kid outta there!" "What the hell's he doing in there in the first place?" "It's for little kids." "He weighs, like, 900 pounds!" "Let me tell you something." "You haven't heard the last of this." "I got stuck." "You don't think clowns have lawyers?" "You better think again, 'cause you're about to be hearing from my lawyer." "Reach for the sky, you mud-sucking yellow sidewinder." "All right, Jesus." "Easy, man." "Shit, don't shoot." "I'm so gonna hear from the parents on this one." "The Amazing Ted, or Mr. Clown?" "Which do you prefer on your tombstone?" "Oh, tombstones?" "Why's he talking about tombstones?" "If you wanna continue your useless existence," "I strongly urge a sincere apology to Miss Finnegan O'Neil." "Okay." "Okay." "I'm sorry." "I'm really, really sorry." "apology accepted." "Now, git!" "Oh!" "Well, birthday cake, anyone?" "Me!" "Did you have fun today?" "I liked it when Monte shot my clown." "Oh, well, baby," "Mr. Wildhorn didn't really shoot your clown." "He just, well, wanted to get his attention." "Can you read me the elephant story?" "I don't see why not." "You ready?" "Ready." "Okay '" ""Once upon a time," ""inside a finely-tuned piano in an old house" ""there lived a family of mice." ""They had everything mice could possibly want in the world" ""because this mouse family had wisely invested in The Cheesecake Factory."" ""Mrs. Mouse made sure their home was always filled with music" ""by jumping up and down on the keyboard." ""The only problem they had was the cat that lived in the house with them."" "ls the cat gonna eat the mouses?" "Oh, well, let's hope Mr. Wildhorn isn't taking the story in that direction." "Oh, well, bless you, sweetheart." "Thank you." ""One day, on the brightest of summer mornings, the littlest mouse heard a knock at the front door."" "Who's there?" ""She opened the door," ""and there standing before her was the grandest elephant" ""ever seen by a little mouse," ""or any mouse for that matter." ""'I'm pleased to meet you." "My name is Tony." ""'I heard the beautiful music and wanted to see where it was coming from."'" ""Tony, a traveling magician by day" ""and an opera singer by night," ""cast a magic spell" ""so the mice would be invisible to the cat." ""This made the mouse family feel very safe" ""and everyone was very happy." ""Mrs. Mouse was so happy" ""that when it was time for Tony to leave," ""she scampered all the way up his trunk" ""and gave him a kiss on the cheek." "Tony promptly fainted."" "I think this elephant likes me." "Well, I suppose I could smear the ball with peanut butter, but that would be beneath your dignity... and mine." "Well, this isn't your first raft, Mrs. O'Neil." "Finn did most of the work, with a little help from Diego Santana." "Ah." "Where is everybody?" "Karen took them into town for some ice cream." "You didn't get to go?" "It was a plot." "So I could finish the raft." "She's had her heart set on sailing to the island this summer... and school starts in three weeks." "I see." "Flora greatly appreciated "The Elephant Who Stays Forever."" "I was hoping she'd like it." "She made me read it to her several times, and she asked me if you would write more Tony stories." "Well..." "I wouldn't want to disappoint her." "Hi, it's Dave." "That's me on drums." "Leave a message." "Monte, it's Joe again." "It's really important you call me back." "Important for who?" " Willow..." " No, thanks." "Come on, Willow." "This is gonna be the adventure of a lifetime." "Of a lifetime." "Finnegan is not going to that island without her big sister." "Fine." "A swing." "Will you push me, Willow?" "Sure, Carl." "Hop on." "Whee-hee!" "Whoo!" "Higher." "Whee-hee." "Hang on!" "Push harder." " Fun?" " Yeah!" "Oh!" "I think I'm drowning!" "Carl!" "Carl, it's shallow." "Just stand up." "Help me!" "Carl, it's shallow." "You're not drowning." "That was close." "Whoa." "What is it, Finn?" "It's a lunchbox." "I found it on the island." "What's inside?" "I haven't opened it yet." "Why not?" "Because there might not be anything good in it." "This way, I can think there's something good even if there's not." "Do you know how stupid that sounds?" "No." "It's like what Monte says, seeing what's not there." "I'll open it." "I wanna see what is there." "Maybe it's money." "Might be a chopped off hand, Willow Tree." "Don't open it!" "Wow..." "Look at all this stuff." "Look, it's a diary." ""Property of Charlotte Reilly, Seventh Grade."" " Who's that?" " That's Mama!" "Probably everything we wanna know about her when she was a kid is in here." "What do we wanna know about her?" "We should probably give it back to her." "I think she'd want it back." "We should make her a sandwich." "Lovely day, Mr. Wildhorn." "Yes, ma'am." "It's shaping up to be a considerably lovely day." "More Tony?" "Yes, ma'am." "I'm sure Flora will be delighted, and I will read this to her tonight at bedtime." "Good." "Thank you." "Spot, that lady has a way of making me sit taller in the saddle." "Flora, look what Mr. Wildhorn gave me." "Tony the Elephant?" "Who's Tony the Elephant?" "Mr. Wildhorn wrote a story for Flora's birthday." "He did what?" "Read Tony, Mommy." " Let me see that!" " No, no." "We'll read it tonight." "Today, I want all of you girls to go outside and play in the fresh air." "Come on." "We can ride into town." "Monte!" "Monte!" "Monte!" "I'm calling you out!" "You gave up Jubal McLaws for an elephant?" "You told me Jubal saved your life!" "Then you shoot him in the back!" "Oh, now, hold on." "I don't call writing about an elephant shooting Jubal in the back." "Jubal hasn't come calling in years." "I can't write what's not there." "You tell me to see what's not there." "Why can't you write what's not there?" "You're a no-good drunk and a liar!" "Finnegan!" "He's a damn bamboozler, Willow!" "Mr. Wildhorn?" "My sister believes you're something special." "Are you something special?" "Can't say that I ever thought of myself like that." "Well, you'd better be." "'Cause otherwise, you don't deserve Finnegan." "I really hope you two make up, because I'd hate to see you lose a friend like her." ""Sometimes, talking to people wasn't easy for Tony." ""So he kept writing letters to Mrs. Mouse," ""faithfully delivered by the tree toad." ""Then a really amazing elephant thing happened." ""When elephants find they're too nervous to speak," ""they begin to dance." ""Tony loved to waltz." ""And before he even realized it," ""he found himself waltzing with Mrs. Mouse under the warm moonlight."" "Li's open!" "Hello, Joe." "Been expecting you." "You might want to return a phone call every once in a while, especially to someone you've known so long." "How's the book business, Joe?" "Nobody reads unless they can download." "Why wouldn't you want to hold a book?" "You've got a dog!" "Yeah, I'm dog-sitting for the summer." "You seem different." "You're not, uh... yourself." "Sober, you mean?" "Well, I've stopped before." "And I'll probably start up again." "But right now, I'm seeing things with a clear eye." "And quite frankly, I like the view." "What can I do for you, Joe?" "I've come here today to change your life." "You'll collect your usual commission for that?" "I certainly do." "I brought Luke Ford with me." "He's waiting outside." "The Luke Ford?" "The Luke Ford." "You mind if I invite him in?" "Be impolite not to." "That's what I was thinking." "Luke?" "Luke, why don't you join us?" "Come meet the great Monte Wildhorn." "Sorry, for just showing up like this, but Joe said it was the only way I might get to meet you." "I'm Luke Ford." "You certainly are." "I'm really pleased to make your acquaintance." "Have a seat." "Luke is the reason that I've been trying to get a hold of you all summer." "I know you wanted your space, but he's been rather insistent on acquiring the rights to Jubal McLaws." " Is that right?" " How about that, huh?" "Well, Jubal's not for sale." "Oh, come on now." "Hear him out." "He is just trying to make you a rich son of a bitch." "I'm already a son of a bitch." "And I don't care to be rich, but thanks for thinking of me." "This could be a real fresh start for you." "Granted, you'll have to take a sabbatical from the dog-sitting." "I like dog-sitting." "Monte, I'm a huge fan of the old Westerns, and I'm convinced that there's still some life left in the genre." ""The Saga of Jubal McLaws" is the best Western novel I ever read." "If you allow me," "I'd be honored to be the one to bring Jubal to life." "All due respect, Mr. Ford, but my late wife has already pulled off that miracle." "Then consider your readership-- this movie gets produced, they'll increase a thousand fold." "Isn't that what you always wanted?" "I thought it was." "Mr. Ford, I appreciate your taking the time to come out here, I really do." "If ever there was a man to play Jubal, you'd be him." "But right now, I'm in a pretty good..." "Most times, real life doesn't measure up to what's in our heads, but every now and then, it comes pretty close." "You happened to catch me in one of those rarefied moments." "So if it's all the same to you," "I'll stick with real life for a spell." "You're making a big mistake, and I gotta tell you, this could be your last chance." "I don't believe in last chances, Joe." "I've had too many of them." " Monte!" " Joe... meeting's over." "It's real nice meeting you." "That's pretty." "It's Mrs. O'Neil, next door." "Real fine lady." "Right now, she's talking to me." "And if you don't mind, it's a personal conversation." "Mr. Wildhorn, it's a pleasure not doing business with you." "How much longer are you here?" "Couple of weeks." "Fixed all right for cash?" "Same as always." "That's what I thought." "No, thanks, Joe." "You take care." "I believe you owe me a toast, Mr. Wildhorn." "Here's to you, Mrs. O'Neil, and a face that gives the moonlight something worth shining on." "What do you want out of life, Mr. Wildhorn?" "I'd settle for more nights like this." "I told my girls that one of the great pleasures life has to offer is their own search after the heart." "Yes, ma'am." "What would the woman who captures your heart be like?" "She'd have your way of walking into a room." "How do I do that?" "It's sunny outside." "There's a light rainfall." "You know how it feels when a warm breeze comes with the rain?" "That's how you walk into a room." "That's some kind of walking I'd have to do to be worthy of such lovely words." "And I'd like her to have your ears." "My ears?" "If you don't mind me saying so, Mrs. O'Neil, your ears look like they can handle the soft whisper." "And if you don't mind my inquiring, Mr. Wildhorn, what would the whisper be?" "Well, it would be different every night." "Maybe you could whisper it in my ear while we dance." "I have it on good authority that you love to waltz." "And so I do." "Mr. Wildhorn?" "Uh, I'll be right there!" "Just a minute." "Just a minute." "I'll be right there." "If it's too early, I can come back." "Oh, no, no, no." "Not at all." "Not at all." "Ah, Mrs. O'Neil." "What a pleasant surprise." "What can I do for you?" "I have something of a favor to ask you if it wouldn't be too much of an imposition." "After the way you played the piano last night, no favor is too big." "Thank you." "It's just that I have to go into the city for the day to meet with the lawyers." "Jack and I have a few final things to work out." "I was wondering if you might stay with the girls until I get back." "It shouldn't be too late." "You want me to baby-sit?" "If you wouldn't mind." "No, no." "No, I accept the challenge." "Wonderful." "Thank you, Mr. Wildhorn." "There's a casserole in the fridge for dinner." "And if you need to reach me, the girls have my cell number." "Okay, now, I should be home before you go to bed, but Mr. Wildhorn agreed to stay with you." "It's okay, Mom." "I can take care of everything." "Yeah, Mom." "We don't need any help." "Willow can watch us." "I know, this is just in case." "And I expect you to behave like ladies while I'm gone." "Oh, good luck." "Oh, don't worry about us." "You go and fight your battles." "We'll protect the homestead." "Okay..." "Who's up for some high-stakes poker?" "Five-card draw." "Deuces and one-eyed jacks wild?" "I'll play" "How much you got?" "Mom!" "Mom, wait!" "Is Dad gonna be there?" "Or is it just the lawyers?" "Dad will be there." "Will you say hello for me?" "Of course." "I love you, Mom." "I love you, too." "Come on, Flora!" "Jump." "Whoo!" "That's quite an arm you got there." "You ever play any ball?" "When I was 17 years old," "I could throw a baseball 90 miles an hour." "Had a real live arm." "Got me a minor league contract for the St. Louis Cardinals." "I played eight years with the Memphis Chickasaws and the Portland Beavers." "Double A, Triple A." "Even worked my way up to the bigs at the end of a couple of seasons." "One summer day, we were playing a doubleheader." "I was pitching the opener." "First batter steps into the box." "I leaned in to get the sign, and out of the corner of my eye," "I saw the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life." "She takes a seat right behind the catcher, and I can't take my eyes off her." "I was knocked out in the first inning." "But it was worth it." "Her name was Mary, and we were married eight months later." "She wanted to have a lot of kids." "I was all right with that." "Two days before my 25th birthday," "I got a call from the Cardinals." "They needed a new starter." "I was on my way home from the ballpark to tell Mary the good news... when a drunk driver ran a red light..." "I ended up in this chair." "I was sure Mary would leave me." "There were times when I almost wished she would." "But she never gave up on me." "She used to tell me, one door closes, another one opens." "I didn't buy into it until one day I looked up and there was Jubal McLaws, a half smile on his face, staring right back at me." "Jubal and Mary gave me my life back." "Six years ago, Mary died... and Jubal went with her." "All doors closed, bolted shut." "Until one day, a nine year-old girl named Finnegan O'Neil showed up at my door and gave me back my legs." "How did I do that?" "By believing with me." "That's how I was able to dance in the moonlight." "You danced?" "In my mind, I sure did." "Can't they fix you?" "No, Finn, they can't." "Maybe you'll get a miracle." "The way I see it, I already got my miracle." "Okay, so first you go to "contacts."" "What's "contacts"?" "It's the thing that looks like a book." "I see a clock." "It's next to the clock, see?" "All right." "How do I get there?" " See the little ball in the middle?" " Yeah." " Roll it." " Roll it." "With your thumb." "With my thumb, okay." "Oh!" "There it is." "Now what?" "Press it." "Now it's showing me the time." "That's because you rolled it while pressing it." "Go back one." "Ah, I don't believe I will." "Like I stated at the outset, it's not for me." "Now, who can I interest in a Mr. Pibb?" "Me." "Come on." "Uh... you let me know if I'm doing something wrong." "I never put kids to bed before." "We'll help you, Monte." "Oh..." "Shouldn't Mama be home now?" "She just texted me." "She'll be home in a couple of hours." "Well, now." "All right, then... get some shuteye." "We're in Dog Dave's bed." "I couldn't agree more." "A night like this certainly puts you in the mood." "Good evening, Mr. Wildhorn." "I'm sorry I'm so late." "Oh, that's all right." "I didn't know what to do, so I put the little ones in Dog Dave's bed." "That'll be all they remember about this summer." "Willow fell asleep on the couch." "I hope they weren't too much trouble." "Oh, just the opposite." "Well, I guess I better take 'em off your hands." "I don't mind if you wanna leave 'em for the night." "Are you sure?" "It'd be a shame to wake 'em at this hour." "Oh." "Okay." "Thanks." "Well, uh..." "I better be getting back." "If you don't feel too tired, you might wanna sit a spell." "Okay '" "I'm gonna miss this place." "Where will you go?" "Not quite sure." "I have some cat-sitting prospects in Mexico." "I thought I'd try Nueva Rosita." "It's a little town I wrote about when Jubal was holed up down in those parts hiding out from a posse." "Figured it'd be a good place to write." "I'm glad you're writing again." "Flora just loves the Tony stories." "So you said." "What about you?" "I'm greatly fond of them as well." "This has been a wonderful summer." "There's only one thing that I know I'll wish I had done." "What's that?" "Had our waltz in the moonlight." "I know what you mean." "Sure you don't want me to take the girls?" "I mean, where are you gonna sleep?" "Ah, sleeping under the stars has never been a hardship." "Well..." "I guess I'll just come back and get them in the morning." "Good night, Mrs. O'Neil." "Good night, Mr. Wildhorn." "He's sleeping." "Sorry, Monte." "We were sneaking out." "We want to surprise Mama." "Well, your sneaking skills could use a little work." "Should we wake her up?" "No, I think we should let her sleep." "When do you think she'll wake up?" "Oh, good, you're up." "Oh, good morning, girls." "To what do I owe this lovely intrusion?" "Here." "This is for you." "Oh, wow!" "My goodness." "Where...?" "I found it on the island." "Oh..." "Eat the sandwich." "I haven't seen this since" "Eat the sandwich." "Okay '" "Mmm..." "Do you like it?" "I love it." "Come here." "Come here, you three." "Was the alcohol defective?" "Changing my ways, Mahmoud." "Uh, two Slim Jims, please." "You know, I'm leaving tomorrow, Carl." "Okay '" "Does that mean I can't be Diego anymore?" "No, you can be anybody you want to be." "But I gotta tell you, I kind of miss that Carl fella." "He's very special." "I'm Carl." "Danged if you're not." "I wanted to give you something to remember me by." "Fits good." "A little sweaty." "So long, partner." "What are you planting?" "Pumpkins." "Thought it'd be nice if we grow our own for Halloween." "Need some help?" "Sure." "What do you do?" "Well, it's easy." "You just dig a little hole and drop one in." "I think I can handle that." "How is Dad?" "He's okay." "How are you doing?" "I'm okay." "What about you?" "What's going on with you, Willow Tree?" "I never thought about your parents getting divorced." "I read your diary." "I kind of figured." "It's weird, Mom, but the fact that you felt so bad... kind of made me feel better." "Is that wrong?" "No." "I'm glad you read it." "All right, big guy, Last Chance Saloon." "Fetch." "I respect consistency." "Well, just the person I wanted to see." "Come on in." "I got a couple of things for you." "There you go." "$34." "I'm afraid I'll have to owe you the 18 cents." "But you taught me what you said you would." "Yeah, but I wasn't counting on you teaching me a whole lot." "Go on, take it." "Thanks." "Wait." "I ain't done." "What's this?" "I don't like it when my fans get short-changed." "You said you were missing the last page of the saga." "That's what I meant to write in the first place." "Wow..." "Now you have to promise me something." "Okay '" "Never stop looking for what's not there." "I promise." "Good." "I'm leaving early in the morning, so we'd best say our proper good-byes here and now." "Do you have to go?" "If I ever had me a little girl..." "I guess I'd want her to be you." "Well, I'll be damned." "Be careful with that." "You sure you'll be all right with Spot?" "He'll be well taken care of, Mr. Wildhorn." "Ah..." "I think it's about time we dispensed with the formalities." "Call me Monte." "Monte." "Charlotte." "It's nice to be on a first-name basis." "Well, I think that's everything." "But I'll give it one last look." "Okay '" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Wait a second!" "Here." "This is for you." "Do you like it?" "Oh... it's a surprisingly accurate rendering, and I shall cherish it." "Thank you." "Remember, you owe me 18 cents." "The debt weighs heavily." "Hi, Mom." "Hey, how was school?" "Good." "What did you do?" "Nothing." "Uh-huh." "Do we have any more Gushers?" " You'll have to check." " Okay." "Melanie is such a freak." "I'm dropping her as a friend off Facebook." "Uh-huh..." "And what's going on with you and Kyle?" "Nothing." "Ava says he likes me, but he's too shy." "Well, why don't you just go up and talk to him?" "Mom, you don't know anything." "Apparently not." "Charlotte, sorry I haven't been in touch, but it's taken me a while to master this e-mail texting thing." "I hope the girls are all doing well, and I hope you're keeping up with your piano playing." "I've been pretty busy lately." "I'm happy to report that I've found the perfect place to write." "I liked it so much, I went ahead and bought it." "Oh, I should say Jubal bought it." "I sold the movie rights." "I'm pretty sure you'd approve." "Dog Dave drove a hard bargain." "Said he would only sell if I agreed to take Spot." "What happened to--?" "Mexico?" "Never quite made it." "A writer needs inspiration." "And I thought the odds of seeing you down there." "Well..." "Monte!" "Monte's here!" "Monte's here!" "Willow, Flora!" "Monte's here!" "Monte!" "You come to visit us, Monte?" "Well, if it's all the same to you ladies," "I thought I'd stay a while." "Looking forward to having you as a neighbor, Mr. Wildhorn." "Just keep the noise down, Mrs. O'Neil."