"Jonathan, this old tub isn't going anywhere today." "Oh, ye of little faith." "Try it one more time." "" F r a n k W o r t o n, 1 9 5 5."" "A good book." "Thanks." "Why couldn't you have done that a half hour ago?" "Well, I could have, but it wouldn't have meant as much to you." "Frank Worton." "I'll do my best." "A month?" "You packed for a year." "I only packed what I needed." "There's no room for my typewriter." "Zoe." "Just give it to me, Todd." "There's plenty of room in the back seat." "Oh, you and your ideas." "You know I can't write in strange environments." "Oh, Todd." "Be out in a minute, Frank." "Just wanna lock up." "This is a lousy idea." "Oh, Todd." "It's gonna be wonderful and you know it." "And it's hardly a strange environment." "You practically grew up in the house." "I haven't seen it in years." "How'd you ever find Gil Petty, anyway?" "I called information." "He was so excited to hear you wanted to rent your family's old house, and when he found out that Frank was coming..." "How you came up with that brilliance?" "Look, the old man is comfortable in that home." "It's not like we stuck him in some dump or something." "All his needs are taken care of." "He sits in his room and he stares, Todd." "Look, if he wanted to go back to the island, you'd think he'd gone back once in 50 years." "He's your grandfather, for Lord's sake." "Look, Zoe, I resent being made to be the ogre." "I've got 3,000 words a day to write." "You wanna be kind and thoughtful?" "Fine." "Just keep him out of my hair." "You look pale, my boy." "Writer's pallor." "Oh, yes, yes." "How's the book coming?" "Just fine." " Is it like the others?" " Yes." "Can't quarrel with success." "I wonder how much the island will have changed for you." "Quite a lot, I expect." "You don't approve of what I write, you never have." "Oh, you construct very nice little stories." ""Little stories."" "Well, you may not approve of my writing," " but at least I'm writing." " Todd." "Three thousand words every day." "And you have someone who will publish them all too." "When I was a little boy, you once said to me:" ""A writer writes." "Something compels him to write."" "You haven't written anything in 15 years." "Well, I can't be much of a writer." "They stopped reading." "You were a great writer." "If I only had what you had." "You just threw it away." "Well, believe it or not, that's the last of it." "I'm afraid I overpacked." "Well, we got plenty of room." "We're all ready to go when you are." "Frank?" "I'm waiting for him to decide not to come." "Frank, let's go, darling." "No, Zoe, you go on without me." "What did I tell you?" "Are you sure you won't change your mind?" "No, no, go ahead." "The island'll look just the way you described it." "When Love Returns, Face of Eve, Married Look." "Hasn't changed." " You...?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I read them all." " You're a little young." " Oh, not for books like yours." "The island's missed you, Mr. Worton." "Every place needs someone who loves it." "Come on, what do you say?" "We're off and running." "It's a nice day for a trip to the island, huh?" "There used to be a house right on the sand, about a hundred yards from our old place." "I wonder if it's still there." "The O'Neil place." "It's still there." "What do you know about the O'Neils?" "That's 50, 58 years ago." " From Mr. Petty." " Gil Petty?" "Yeah, we get a lot of our repairs done at his boatyard." "What do you know, Gil Petty's still alive." "I guess some things never change." "I tell you, he sure is a big fan of yours." "He and I did a lot of sailing together once upon a time." " He was a good pal." " He's real proud of you." "Oh, he goes around telling everybody about the famous Frank Worton, who used to live on the island when he was just a boy." "Yes." "I was going to be the great writer." "Well, what do you know?" "Gil Petty." "He knew the O'Neils, all right." "We should be in in about five minutes." "Welcome home." " Oh, hi." " Brought you some groceries." "Oh, thank you." " Just put them anywhere." " Okay." "Gee, that was sweet of you." "My pleasure." "Hey, this is a nice place." "Yeah, the Worton place." " Tea's on." "How about?" " Great." "I'll see if Frank likes some." "Frank, we're gonna have some tea." "Todd, where's Frank?" "How do I know?" "He's out." "Look, I told you not to bother me about him." "He'll be all right." " Got the cups." " Oh, you didn't have to." "Ordinary tea." "It's all I've got." "Hey, I like ordinary tea." "I'm worried about Frank." "He feels forgotten." "Unread." "Un-listened to." "Unloved." "It's a sad commentary on the way of the world." "Once upon a time, Frank Worton had a fiercely loyal readership." "Never had the pleasure of reading any of his stuff." "Long out of print." "He wrote a very particular kind of tale." "Wistful, very personal, a little mystical, fanciful, lovely." "I like mystical." "And I've had a little experience with fanciful." "Have you?" "I have read everything of his I could get my hands on." "Interesting, the heroine always seemed to be another aspect of the same woman, though her name changed from story to story." "Frank's readers felt subliminally he was writing about himself, and followed the romance of his latest love from novel to novel." "It was the way that he did it." "I wonder where he went." "Look, after you finish your tea, why don't we take a walk and look for him?" "You look like you could use a little fresh air." "You're very kind." "Genna?" "Genna!" " How you doing, Frank?" " Jonathan." " Did you see anyone?" " No." "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Nothing's wrong." "I wanna go back." "I'm..." "I'm afraid." " Afraid of what?" " I don't know, just afraid." " You wouldn't understand." " Hey, come on, try me." "I thought I saw her just now." "In a blue woollen hat and a little blue pea jacket." "It was 58 years ago and that was her." " I told you nothing's changed." " But it has." "I'm changed." "I'm old and I'm..." "I'm afraid." "Afraid of my mind." "Please take me back, Jonathan." "I should never have left." "I'll be safe there." "They can take care of me." "All right." "All right, I'll take you back." "Hey, look, we're so close to the O'Neil place." "It's right up on the bluff." "We've come this far, why don't we just see it before we go?" "Okay." "Her house." "Everything is the same." "Jonathan, nothing has changed." "Frank." "Wind chimes." "Yeah, wind chimes." "You know, it seems a shame." "A nice place like this not being used." "It'd be a great spot to get away from it all." "Yes." "Yes, it would." "You know, I don't like that other place." "I feel uncomfortable in the house with them there." "Fourth leg on a three-legged stool." "Todd's got his work." "Zoe." "I'm just in the way." "I could move right in here." "Don't you think?" "I wouldn't have to do anything to it." "It's exactly as it was when I was a boy." "We could ask Mr. Petty." "Yes, we could." "Well, come on, what are we waiting for?" " It's the same, the same." " Heck, there's Mr. Petty." "He looks just like his dad." "Hey there." "Yes, sir." "What can I do you for?" "How are you, Gil?" "Frank Worton." "Frank." "God." "God, it's a pleasure." "Having Wortons in your old place again," "I can't tell you how good it makes me feel." "Here's to you, Frank." "Happy days." "Happy days." "A lot of water." "A lot of water." "So, Todd's fourth book, huh?" "Must make you feel awful proud." "Give him a lot of pointers, do you?" "Maybe a little." "Apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree, as they say." "Talk about full circle." "So are you alone now, Frank?" "Yes." "Both my wives are dead." "Todd's mother and father died in an auto accident." "I read about that with great sorrow, Frank." "I wanted to send you a letter, but I didn't know where you were, and then, I supposed you wouldn't remember." "Not remember?" "My mother was your wet nurse." "Listen, I was wondering about renting the O'Neil place." "Well, get out of the kid's hair." "Old fella like me." "Well, sure, only I won't take any money for it." "I mean, I couldn't in its condition." "I mean, it does need a lot of fixing up." "Fixing up?" "No, no." "I can't imagine it any more perfect than it is." "It's exactly as I remember it." "When Genna was there." "I've read your books, Frank." "Saw a lot of her in all of them." "Yeah." "Well," "I best be going." "Let's go sailing sometime." "Like the old days." " Let's do that." "Thanks, Gil." " Sure." " Good to see you, Gil." " Same here." "Frank Worton." "It's open, come on in." "Oh, Zoe and Todd, thanks for bringing my things." "Would you like some tea?" "What's the matter?" " "What's the matter?"" " Todd." "I'll come over in an hour and tidy up this place a little bit." "And then" "Oh, no, no, no." "It's fine." "Besides, you have plenty to do." "I'll be fine here, cosy as a bug." "I'm gonna take care of myself and it." "I give up." "I--I--I just give up." "Todd." "Todd, wait." "Why would he wanna stay in a place like that when he's got a good room at the house" " and we can keep an eye on him?" " Because he wants to." "Let him have his independence." "He's not a child." "Oh, he isn't, huh?" "I've got work to do." "What's the matter, Todd?" "Are you stuck?" "What do you really care?" "All you care about is the old man." "Why don't you put Agent 462 away for a while and let me rub your neck?" "No thanks." "You know, at one time it would have mattered to you that I haven't put down an interesting page of literature in three days." "You haven't put down an interesting page of literature in three books." "Well, you're nothing if not frank." "I brought this." " I want you to read it." " What is it?" " It's mine." " It sure is." "It isn't a rip-off of 007." "This is yours." "This is writing." "The man who wrote this is the man I fell in love with." " Sensitive, intelligent, feeling." " No, Zoe, Zoe." "We've been all over this." "Now, your boss rejected it." "Morton Daws, who always listens to you, rejected it." "So Morton didn't buy it." "So what?" "You could have taken it to another publisher." "Oh, so I can get turned down again?" "No thanks." "It hurt enough the first time." "At least let somebody else read it." " Let your grandfather read it." " No!" "Why the hell you brought it out," "I'll never know." "Look, Zoe..." "Let's just forget about it." "I know what I'm cut out to do." "Jonathan, how much longer we gonna have to sleep on this tub?" "I get so cold at night, it takes me half the morning to warm up." "I don't know." "What do you mean, you don't know?" "How come you know it's gonna rain?" "Because it is." "So if you wanna stay dry, you better make sure she's sealed up tight." "It looks sunny." "That's what Noah's son said." " Noah?" " Noah." "I'm sealing, I'm sealing." "Jonathan." "I just stopped by to see Grandfather." "He's not there and the sailboat's gone." "Small-boat warnings all over the radio." " I'm worried." " Don't worry." " I think I know where he is." " I'll go with you." "No, that's all right." "I'll move faster alone." " Are you sure?" " Yeah." "Don't worry about it." " He's gonna be fine." " All right." "Thank you." "You bet." "Mark, I'll be right back." "Hey, Noah, this ark was your idea." "How about giving me a hand?" "Hey." "How did you know where to find me?" "Just a feeling." "It's lovely here." "This was our meeting place, our secret spot." "Sweet Genna, probably the only girl I ever really" "I mean, we loved each other every minute of five summers when I was a boy." "First thing every morning until last kiss and final touch every night." "It certainly was never the same for me again." "That sounds like a very special kind of love." "That's what we called it." "It's strange." "I've had a full life, been married to two wonderful women, and all I can think of is a 16-year-old girl" "I adored when I was younger." "It must be senility, Jonathan." "Genna was in all my novels but one." "I tried to purge myself of her that year." "Nobody bought the book." "I never did without her again." "I knew it was uninspired." "What ever happened to her?" "She died that last summer." "She was out alone in their little boat, storm came up out of nowhere." "Skies were blue and clear." "We searched for days and days." "Then one day, the boat turned up." "Beached itself, it was fine." "She had taken down the sails." "There wasn't a mark on it to show what she'd been through." "It was as if she sent it home." "As if to say, "Stop looking, sweetheart."" "My Genna." "I'm surprised you stopped writing." "Now, why'd you say that?" "Because very few of us ever experience that kind of love." "The kind that inspired you to write the way you used to." "Frank, that love's still there." "The world ought to hear about it." "Well, I was trying to forget, forget the pain." "You can't forget the pain any more than you can forget the love." "Hey, why don't we get home?" "Zoe's worried." "Genna?" "Genna?" "Genna." "Boy, I feel sorry for that old man in that dusty wreck of a place he moved into." "Frank Worton doesn't see the dust." "He doesn't see it as a wreck either." "What are you talking about?" "The place is a mess." "To your eyes, not to his." "Frank sees it the way he wants it to be." "The way it was one summer long ago when he was in love." "Jonathan?" "Jonathan." " Frank." " Jonathan, it's a miracle." "Look at this." "I gave that to Genna years ago, but it shows no sign of age." "It's as though she just polished it." "I was 17 years of age." "That's Genna." "Where'd you get it?" "She left it in front of my place." "Oh, I know she's here, Jonathan." "I know it sounds crazy, but somehow she's here." "I've seen her." "I'm gonna find her." "Boy, that poor old man is really gone." "Did you see that locket?" "You can barely make out the picture." "He thinks it looks like it's new." "Maybe it's like the cottage, he doesn't see the age." "Yeah." "Like I said, he's gone." "Come on, Mark, all of us act crazy sometimes." "Yeah, that's true." "Even you." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means you've had me busting my butt sealing up this tub because of some impending storm." "There's not a cloud in the sky." "Hey, pal, you don't wanna believe what an angel tells you, don't believe it." "I gotta get going, I'll be back." "Yeah, sure, take off when you're wrong." "That just goes to show you that even angels can make mistakes." "I really hate it when you do this." "No, I can't say as I have, Frank." "No teenagers on the island that I know of at all." "Not this time of year." "Well, if you should come across her" "I'll sure let you know." "I sure will, Frank." "Thank you." "Hey, Frank." "Can I give you a lift anywhere?" "No, no, I'm gonna walk back along the beach." "Hey, Frank." " Jonathan." " Any luck?" "No, not yet." "And I saw her last night." "Yeah, I know." "I don't expect you to believe me." "Hey, how about you and your partner coming to my place for dinner tonight?" "It's in the nature of a celebration." "Yeah, what kind of celebration?" "I'll tell you about it at dinner." "All right." "We finish the last run for the mainland about 6:30." "We'll wash up and be over." " Come hungry." " No problem." " See you then." " See you then." "Boy, you missed your calling, sir." "I mean, this is good cooking." "Thanks, Mark." "More wine?" " Jonathan?" " No, no, I'm fine, thanks." " You didn't eat anything." " Oh, I'm too excited to eat." "A toast." "To the success of a new endeavour." " I'm writing again." " Oh, that's great, Frank." "I've written a 30-page outline for a novel in 24 hours." "And I'm calling it Genna." "To Genna." "Working like a demon." "Got everything but the end." "That'll come." "Congratulations." "Oh, I just remembered." "The dessert." "You get older." "Mrs. Mobray, a neighbour lady, asked if I'd like some freshly picked beach berries." "I said I'd drop over, and I forgot." "Party line, they're talking." "We're going to the movies." "We're catching the early show." " Okay." " Are you sure?" "I said it's okay." "What's the movie?" "Greta Garbo's new film." "I can't remember the title." "Well, you enjoy it." "I will." "And say hi to the Warnekes for me." "We won't be too late." " Genna." " It's all right." "Don't worry." " Genna." "Genna." " Bye, Dad." "Frank, what's wrong?" "That was Genna." "What do you mean, your Genna?" "I know you think I'm crazy, but it was her." "Hey, come on, Frank." "We've had some wine, you hardly can recognise a voice on those old phones." "Mark, the girl on that phone was going to see a new film starring Greta Garbo." "Come in." "How you doing?" "Just one second." "Finished." "Hey, what are you talking about, finished?" "You mean the whole manuscript?" "That's right." "I've never written anything this fast in my life." "It's almost as though the whole thing was inside me, waiting to come out." "I want to show it to my grandson, but I am so tired now." "Would you take it to him?" "I'd be happy to, if you promise to read this." "Oh, Jonathan." "I can't plod through one of Toddy's spy novels now, really." "You're not gonna find a spy in that story anywhere." "It's something Todd wrote years ago." "I think it's beautiful." "Why didn't he ever show it to me?" "I think he was afraid." "Afraid you might laugh at it." "Yes, I know the feeling." " I'll read it." " Good." " And I'll see to it that he gets this." " Thank you." "You take care." "It's magic." "Yes." "This was the kind of man I wanted to be when I was a kid." "God, if I could only write like that." "Come on, let's go tell him how much we loved it." "Okay." "Well, Frank..." "What do you think of it?" "It's wonderful." "Jonathan, it's absolutely wonderful." "And he should have a kick in the pants for wasting his time on junk." "I'm going over there and telling him." "But why don't you just leave him a note, huh?" "A note?" "Why?" "Because you have an appointment with someone." " What are you talking about?" " Genna." "She's waiting for you down by the boat." "You've seen her?" "Yeah." "Jonathan, I knew." "I knew it was her." "But how can this be?" "In his kingdom, all things are possible." "And that's it." "I'm--I'm going?" "With your Genna." " Jonathan, let's go, let's" " Wait, wait." "Don't forget the note." "Oh, sure, sure." "Genna." "Look at her, Jonathan." "Just the way she was." "And so are you, Frank." "Just the way you were." "I'm a kid again." "It's like magic." "That's why they call it heaven, Frank." "Hey, go on." "She's waiting." "Sail away, my friend." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "Genna!" "Frank?" "Frank?" "Frank?" "I wonder where he is." "Todd, come here." "Look." "My manuscript." "How did it get here?" "I threw it into the fire." "You saw me throw it into the fire." "How could it get here?" "I don't know." "He read it, Todd." "Look." "Here's a note." ""My dearest grandson, You have a great gift." "Use it." "It's in the genes." "And it makes me so proud." "Granddad."" "He liked it, Zoe." "Granddad liked it." "Frank Worton's book made the bestseller list that summer." "And so did his son Todd's." "From time to time, fishermen still report seeing Frank's sailboat moving through the soft fog." "But of course, that couldn't be possible."