"Hey David, it's Charlie Franklin calling to say happy birthday." "Sorry I couldn't get those tickets, man." "I know you were counting on me, but my brother-in-law's in town." "I'll give you a call you next week, and maybe we can get together." "Have a good birthday." "Take care." "If you wanna reach me on my cell, you can..." "You think you know about pain?" "Talk to my second wife." "When she was 19, she got between a couple of fighting cats." "And one of them went at her." "Climbed her like a tree." "Tore gashes out of her thighs and breasts and belly, that you can still see today." "She got 30 stitches, and a fever that lasted for days." "My second wife says...that's pain." "She doesn't know shit, that woman." "If I could have stepped in front of that car today, in the place of that man..." "I would have." "Perhaps for a moment, bearing his pain may have numbed my own." "It was the fifties." "A period of strange repressions...secrets." "A time when even the guilty displayed a rare innocence." "Remembering what happened." "Remembering what we did." "I'm on the wrong side of fifty, now." "I make $300,000 a year on Wall Street... two marriages, no kids... a house in Rye, a company apartment in the city" "My preseant wife knows nothing about what happened all those years ago." "And I don't know if I mean to tell her." "Why should I?" "Nothing in my life has been right, since the summer of 1958." "When Ruth, Donnie, Willie, and all the rest of us met Meg Loughlin... and her sister Susan." "Whatcha looking for?" "Crayfish." " Can I see?" "I'm Meg." " I'm David." "They're really neat." "Jus' catch them and look at 'em a while, then let them go." "Do they bite?" "The big ones do, but the little ones try and run." "Ah!" "You never seen a crayfish before?" "We don't have 'em in New York City." "We do have lobsters, though." "Now, they can hurt you." "Can you keep one like a pet?" "No." "You eat them silly." "Peoply eat crayfish too." "In Louisiana and Florida, someplace." "Doesn't look like there's a lot to eat." "Let's try and get some big ones." "Can I try?" " Sure." "What's that?" "My family, they were in an accident." "Got any more of them...scars, I mean?" "A few, but that ones the worst." "Can I see 'em?" "I got one." "I got one." "You got a big one." "First try..." "Good boys." "Sometimes they kill their own kind, you know?" "You'll put 'em back though, won't you?" " Sure, I always do." "I gotta get back." "But I wanted to look around, first thing." "We had never had a woods before." "Thanks, David, that was fun." "Hey, back where?" "We're staying with our cousins, the Chandlers." "The Chandlers?" "We're neighbors." " See you, David." "One more day at your sister's and, I swear, I would have asked someone to..." "bring out the white coats." "David, you wanna lend a hand?" "Hey Woofer." " Hi, Dave." "What's in the can?" " Nightcrawlers." "Is Donnie around?" " Yep." "Sick, Woofer." "That's really sick." "Got some black one's too." "Gonna collect 'em and put 'em in with these guys here." "Start an ant war." "Want to bet who wins?" "The red ants will win." "Red ants always win." "Olly olly ox in free." "Hey geeks, it's me." "You guys there?" "Gotcha!" "That wasn't funny, dufus." " The look on your face sure was." "Hey, give me a hand here, will ya." "Race to the top." "Dork." " Homo." "So you've met her." " Who?" "Oh, your cousin." "Yes, down by the rock." "She caught a crayfish, first try." "Yes, she's pretty good at stuff." "Cute too, ain't she?" " Shit, your own cousin?" "Second cousin." "Mom says it makes a difference." "So what's her sister like?" " Susan?" "Like nothin." "She got really messed up in that accident." "She has to walk with those, uh, what do you call 'em..." "The things, kids with polio wear 'em." "Both parents died too." "Mom said they must have died instantly." "Mom says they didn't even know what hit 'em." "Fact is, what hit 'em was a goddam Chrysler." "Anyhow, that's why we got 'em." "Mom says Meg's the lucky one." "She said Meg got off easy." "What are you two dorks doin' here?" "Goin' down to the carnival." "Carnies set up this morning." "Gonna go see 'em set up." "Another summer of kiddies and carnivals." "Whoop-te-fuckin'-doo." "Oh look, it's dufus and David." "Shut that trap of yours, before I shut it for you." "Dad wants to know where you're going." "He says you're grounded." "Tell Dad to stick it up his ass." "Now you're really gonna get it." "I'm telling." "Do it, and I tell him what I caught you and Cheryl doing with your pillows the other night." "Hey, guys." " Hi Willie." "Have fun at the dentist?" " Shut up, moron." "Mom's pissed you left." "Says Woofers tearing' up the garden and you were suppose to babysit him." "I've had it with you kids." "Time to find me some real action." "It's summer." "So, why haven't we played the game?" "Are you sure she can't see nothing?" " She can't see shit." "Get ready to run." "The big tree is the safe zone." "1,2,3...24,25" "Eddie, stop it." "I know thats you." " Shut the fuck up." "19,20..." "...39,40!" "Bitch, bitch, bitch." "Oh, Shit!" "Brown Pony!" "Capture!" "Now what?" " Now...she has to confess." "Only Lila get's to play." "The rest of us just watch." " Me first." "Now tell the truth." "Have you ever kissed a boy?" " No." "But you have." "Tell us how you and Cheryl play with yourselves." "We didn't." " Liar." "Have you ever sucked dick?" "A big, long, pussy-pounding dick?" "No!" "Stop it." "I'm telling Dad." "What is it?" "Tell us what you bitches really did with those pillows." "Hi, Meg." " Oh, Hi David." "It's neat, huh." "It's beautiful." "Want to give it a try?" "If you wanted to, I mean." "If you're too scared to, I..." "I don't mind." "Sure." "C'mon." "I feel like I could just fly off and see the whole world from here." "My parents..." "I know they always meant to take us someplace like Playland or Atlantic City." "Just never got around to it, I guess." "I heard about what happened." "I'm sorry." "David, this is..." "...is...this is amazing." "You ride like a real pro." "You mean it?" "Sure." "I've got two more tickets, if you want to go again." "Oh, I'd love to." "But I have to get back early, Ruth said be home early." "She can be kind of funny sometimes." "I know, Ruth's great, just like one of the gang." "I'll tell you what's missing from that goddam carnival, is a good old-fashioned hoochiecoo." "What's a hoopiecoo, ma?" "Hoochiecoo." "You know, the hoochiecoochie..." "Dancing girls, Ralphie." "That...and the freak show." "When I was your age, we had both." "Once I saw a man with three arms." " There ain't no such thing." "Don't contradict your mother." "I did." "I saw a man with three arms." "One of 'em, just a little bitty thing, comin' outta here." "What else?" "What other stuff did you see?" "Things in bottles." "Stillborns." "Little shrunken things." "Cats and goats, all kinds of things." "I tell ya, the carnval was somethin' when I was a girl." "So tell us about this hoochiecoo." "Yeah.I still don't get it." "What's it supposed to be?" "I told you." "It's dancing girls." "Some of 'em half naked, too." "With skirts up to here... and little teeny brassieres." "Maybe just a ruby in the belly." "With dark red circles pain'ted" "Here and here." "What do you boys think of that?" "Suppose nothing like that's ever gonna be sponsored by those little kiwanis, is it." "Not those boys." "But, they'd like to." "Hell, they'd love to." "But they've all got their wives." "Finish up your beers, boys." "Time to get going to that carnival." "Don't want to miss the last night." "Meg!" "I'm takin' these boys out for a Mr. Softy at the carnival." "You stay here and look after your sister." "And stay out of the ice box." "Can't have you getting fat on us." "Especially if you ever want to do the hoochiecoo." "Yeah, I heard that one." "Maybe I read it in Playboy." "You read that in Playboy and I fucked Debra Padgett." "My old man buys it every month, ass-lick." "I heard theres one with Jane Mansfield?" " Yeah, I saw that one." "The biggest tits I ever saw." " Bigger than Carol Baker's?" "Bigger than June Wilkinson?" " Shit, bigger than Willie's." "Where's Donnie?" "Ma said he can't come out until he finishes his dinner." "Has any of you seen a woman?" "I mean, a real woman." " Does Meg count?" "No." "See anything?" "Not even a goddam elbow." "Hold it, Hold it." "Wa..wa..wait." "Bitch!" "Screw it." "Screw her." "Maybe we could get her to play the game." "Goddam little buggers." "Tentworms." "I'll do this one." "You kids watch, then you do the rest, okay?" "Holy shit." "Looks like real myum, before they finish baking." "Okay, you take these." "And remember..." "I want a yard left." "And no goin' in the woods." "Woods can take care of itself." "I don't want to." "Excuse me." "Are you offended by a few worms, honey?" "No, I just don't want..." " Well I'll be damned." "What we have here boys is a lesson in femininity." "Meg's squeamish." "You understand how girls get sqeamish don't you?" "And Meg here is a lady." "Why sure she is." "So what in the name of Jesus do you think that makes me?" "You suppose I'm not a lady?" " No, I just thought..." "You better damned well say no to me." "Because I don't need that kind of insinuation coming from a kid... can't even wipe her own face clean." "Now you go on downstairs and help your sister with the laundry." "When you're finished, we'll have something else for you." "My boys can handle it." "Can't you, boys." "I'd like a cheeseburger and a frozen lemonade, please." "Hi David?" "Hey Meg, how's it going?" "Could you lend me some money?" "I'm real hungry." "I haven't eaten in almost two days." "Can you make that two please?" "Why haven't you eaten?" "I can't." "How come?" " I'm not supposed to." "I don't get it." " Ruth says I am fat." "She's just kidding." " No, David, you don't understand, Ruth hates me." "They all do." "Ruth got mad the other day." "I don't know why." "Maybe she was just in a bad mood." "Maybe she's not used to having girls around." "It wasn't just that one time." "It's all the time." "Nothing I ever do is right." "I go to bed at night and it's all I can think about." "Before we came here I used to pain't." "Just a watercolor now and then." "I don't suppose I was very good at it, but..." "My mother used like 'em." "I've tried, but I just can't pain't anymore." "Because I know what Ruth would do." "I know what she'd say." "She'd just look at me... and tell me I was stupid and wasting my time for even trying." "That doesn't sound like the Ruth I know." "Come on, why don't you try?" "Why don't you try making Ruth a watercolor?" "I bet she'd love it." "No, I couldn't, honest." "Well, what about me then?" "Would you really want one?" " Sure I would, I'd like it a lot." "I will David." "And thank you, David, for everything." " Don't mention it." "I'm not fooling around here." "You have to hold the hell back." "Better toughen up now." " Yes, Mrs. Chandler." "Auntie Ruth." "Jesus Christ, can't you even do this?" "Stupid shit." "Supper's on the table." "Give me that rubbish." "It's gonna warp your brain." "Hello there." " Good Evening, Mrs. Moran." "I'm Meg." "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." "Would you like to come in, have something to eat?" " I can't, really, I..." "I just dropped by to give this to David." "Thanks, Meg." " It's kind of stupid, really." "You can throw it away if you don't like it." "What have we here?" "That's really good." "She's something, isn't she?" "Mrs. Chandler must love having her around." "You must be David." " Yeah." "Hi Susan." "Meg says you're nice." "What you got there, Sport?" " Just those Perry Como records you wanted." "I have something for you." " Ralphie, Turn that TV down." "What is it, David?" " A present." "From Meg." "She pain'ted for you." "Meg, It's beautiful." "Don't try and fool me." "She pain'ted this for you, Davy." " No she didn't." "Look at this." "It's a boy by a riverbed." "Of course it's for you." "Take it." "I don't want it." " It was meant for you, Ruth." "She just wanted..." " David, don't." "Take a lesson, boys." "Listen close." "This is important." "All you gotta do is be nice to a woman and she'll do all sorts of good things for you." "Take Davy here," "He was nice to Meggy and he got himself a pain'ting." "That is what you got, isn't it David?" "Is that all you got?" " C'mon Ruth." "I know you're a little young, but these days you never know." "Girls these days are just plain easy." "That's their problem." "Promise them a litte something, and you can have whatever you want." "Trust me, I know I am talking about." "Look at your own father, Davy." "He screwed half the women in this town." "Everyone knows it." "Your own mama knows it." "Don't be ashamed." "At least he's the hard working sort, provides a decent home for his family." "Willie Sr was going to own his own company when we were married." "We were gonna be richer than my folks were when I was a kid in Haddenfield." "And that was pretty rich, let me tell ya." "Now look what I got." "And that lovely Irish bastard is off to god knows where." "I'll tell ya, girls are dumb." "Girls are easy." "Suckers." "Straight on down the line." "Now you take this pain'ting back..." "I know you did it for Davy." "And don't go trying to tell me anything different." "The thing I want to know is, Meggie..." "What are you gonna get out of it?" "Now we all know that Davy here is a nice guy, but... he's not going to give you a damned thing." "So I hope that this pain'ting is all you've given him." "'cause you already got what men want right down here." "And it ain't your goddam artwork." "You start giving boys what they want now, and you're gonna turn out to be nothing but a slut, honey." "You know what a slut is?" "Do you, Susan?" "Of course not, you're too young." "Well, I'll tell you what a slut is." "A slut is someone who spreads her legs for a man... so that he can weasel his way inside." "Quit your goddam giggling, Ralphie." "Anyone who's a slut deserves a thrashing." "I'm sure anyone in this town would agree with me." "I am just warning you, honey." "If I see any slutting going on around this house... your ass is grass, and Auntie Ruth's the lawnmower." "Who wants a beer?" "Oh sweetie, was I born yesterday?" "I used to pain't for my mother." "I've been trying since day one to..." "I don't know what you did with your mother." "I'm telling you you're a slut." "Want to spend your time pain'ting for a boy?" "Get off me." "You're gonna pay!" " Fine, gladly!" "Don't forget your little sister." "Nice behavior." " Yeah, I'm gonna get it all." "Right, so that's how I behave." "Spending all day fantasizing about a boy." "Good night, girls." "It's been lovely." "Stop." "Stop." "Stop." "Hey, David, come look." "She's ticklish." "Please, leave me alone." " Get her." "You bitch, what the hell did you have to go and do that for?" "You saw what he did." " He didn't do nothing." "You scratched his face." " I'm telling Mom." "I don't care what you do anymore." "Your sister is a goddam bitch." "Someone want to tell me what in God's name is going on in here?" "Meg hit Woofer." " She slapped him across the face." "Someone must have provoked her." "We were just tickling her, that's all." "And she hauls off and clobbers Woofers in the face." "You too, Davy?" "Were you tickling Meg too?" " No, I just came in." "I'm not acusing you, honey." "I'm just asking a simple question." "Where is she now?" " I do not know." "She just ran out." "Susan, did you see what happened here?" "And did you try to stop her from hitting Ralphie?" "I couldn't." " You should have tried, honey." "Meg's your sister, after all." "Do you know what it means... to be in connivence with somebody?" "It means that you are guilty too." "Even though maybe you didn't do anything in particular... it makes you sort of a fellow traveller." "Do you understand what I'm telling you?" "Let me try and make this clear." "You love your sister, right?" "Because you love her, you would forgive her something like this, wouldn't you?" "She didn't mean to hurt him." "She just got mad." "Of course she did." "But you'd forgive her, am I right?" "Well you see now that's just plain wrong, honey." "That's just what puts you in connivence with her." "What she did was wrong." "It's bad behavoir." "And you forgiving her, just because you love her, that isn't right either." "I want you to slip over the side of the bed here." "Lift up your dress and slide down your drawers." "Come on over now." "Oh, don't make Auntie Ruth drag you." "Disobedience." "That's another thing." "I'll give you five for conniving." "And then ten for Meg." "And another five for disobeying." "That's twenty." "Boys, you stay here." "Girls just cry." "There is nothing we can to do about it." "This is for her own good." "And you being here is part of it." "Don't touch her!" "Not so fun when it's your precious sister getting slapped around." "Is it, Meggie." "Teach you to pick on people your own size." "You get off of me." " I know you do honey." "Stop." "Stop." "Please." "You still owe me two more." "Now, give me that ring." "It was my mothers." " Your mother is dead." "And this is my house you're living in, I make the rules here." "Now, give me the goddam ring." "I gotta go." "This is what we call a little domestic dispute." "It's just between us." "You saw what you saw... but it's nobody's business, but ours." "Understand?" "What's up guys, what's your flavor?" " I'll have a red popsicles." "I'll take a brown cow." " Thank you, guys." "What time does the fireworks start?" " I think around eight-thiryish." "Sit down, join us." "Donnie, get me a couple more beers." "You brought a cop here after my mother." "Sit your ass down, Willie." "I said, sit down." "All I want to know is what were you thinking, Meggie." "What went through your mind?" "Did you actually think he was going to take you away?" "You and Susan." "Get you out of here?" "Well, I'll tell ya, it's not gonna happen." "He's not gonna take you anywhere, because he doesn't care to." "What's left?" "What'd you have in mind?" "You thought maybe I'd be scared of him?" "The problem is." "What do we do now?" "There is nothing about that man, or any man, that scares me." "If you didn't know that before, then I hope to hell you know it now." "But I can't have you running to the cops every other day, now either, can I?" "So the question is..." "What now?" "I'd send you someplace, if there was someplace to send you, I would." "Damned if I need some stupid little whore running around ruining my reputation." "God knows they don't pay me enough to bother trying to correct you." "I guess I gotta think on this." "Go to your room." "I mean all of you." "You too, Davy." "Sorry, but I got some difficult thinking to do." "Want a beer or something, for the road?" " No, thanks." "Just don't go telling your daddy who gave it to you." "Thanks, Ruth." " Auntie Ruth." "So'd you think anymore about it?" " About what?" "Getting Meg into the game?" "We got our own game now." "No, I don't think so, David." "... always gonna sleep here all the time." "Not lately you don't." "Is it because Meg and Susan?" " That's right." "It's not that big of a deal." "It's the same as before." "No, it's not the same as before, and you know perfectly well what the big deal is." "No Mom, I don't know." " What's the big deal?" "He wants to sleep over there again." " What, next door?" "So..." "let him." "Not that you're up on current events around here... but there are two young girls living at the Chandlers' now." "Don't be dense, Robert." " Dense, hell." "Is there any coffee left?" "Thanks, Dad." " Don't mention it." "Now we're all here." "The game is she's gotta tell." "Tell what?" " Something secret." "Sounds right." "But how's she gonna do it with the gag on?" "You don't want her to tell right away, Mom." "You want to tell, Meggie?" " No, she's not ready." "So now what?" "Now, we take a book away." "Now confess." "Do another book." "Let's see how long she can go like that." " It's gonna hurt after a while." "It's still too easy." "Don't you want to give her a chance to confess?" "Isn't that the idea?" "No, it's still too soon." "Take the other book, Willie." "We should strip her." " Yes, strip her." "Shut up." " I don't think its a really good..." "We got permission." "I say, let's strip her." "That's the game, isn't it?" "Who gets to do it?" " I do." "Care about the clothes, ma?" "I won't have to do the shorts." "No, I do not care." "Now, I won't hurt you." "But if you start something..." "I might just have to." "Don't be stupid." "Please." "Now don't kick." "Ready to confess yet, Meggie?" "Let me do the rest." "Then maybe we'll let her confess." "Now you can confess." "Get the ropes." "Could you...my arms?" "They really hurt." "That's all you get." " Come on, confess!" "Tell us about how you play with yourself." "I bet you put your finger in it, don't ya?" "Yeah, tell us about the Syph." " And the Clap." "David?" "Is David here?" " Yeah, he's here." "Where is Susan?" " She's here too." "Who cares about Susan, where's the confession?" "There's no confession!" "Please, let me go, please." "Don't you touch that girl." "I do not want any of you touching her." "Girl like here ain't even clean." "Keep your hands off her." "Hear?" "But first, we better put that gag back in." "It's pretty dirty." "No, it's not that dirty." "I can't have her down here screaming all night." "Put it in." "You want to think about one thing, girl." "Two things, actually." "First." "It could be your little sister hanging instead of you." "And second." "I know some of the bad things you've done." "And I'm kind of interrested to hear them." "Maybe this confessing isn't such a kids game after all." "I can hear it from one of you... or I can hear it from the other." "You just think about that." "I wonder what it feels like." "Standing down there for so long with her hands tied up over her head like that." "It's gotta hurt." "Really hurt." "Did you guys even see her?" "I mean the way she looked." "Down there." " I've never seen anything like it." "Why don't we go check on her." "Get another look." " Are you nuts?" "Mom would hear." "We can be quiet." " Are you kidding?" "If we so much as cut a fart under the sheets, she'll hear it." "Quiet." "Bet she wants some water." "You idiot." "If we give her water then we gotta take out the gag." "So what?" "She won't make any noise." "You won't make any noise, will you Meg?" "If you do, it'll wake mom." "She makes any noise, she gets in trouble too." "She ain't stupid." "My arms and my shoulders..." "they hurt alot." "I guess we could..." " A little." "On one condition." " Anything." "You have to promise not to fight and not to tell anybody." "Not ever." "Tell what?" " You know." "We won't hurt you or anything, we just want to touch." "No, you're not gonna do that to me." "Not any of you." "We could do it anyway." "Who's gonna stop us?" " I am." "Oh yeah?" "How?" "You will only do it to me once, goddam you, and only one of you... 'cause I won't just tell..." "I'll scream." "Ok, then..." "We keep the ropes" "And we gag you again." "And that's that." "Alright." "Gag me." "Do it, leave...get out of here." "We will." "Open up." "We still got a deal." "You got your water." "But we were never here." "Understand?" "Good" "Come on guys, let's giver her a little slack." "Ruth won't notice." "Just look at her." "Morning's a long way off, you know what I mean." "See you." "C'mon in." "Eat your toast, honey." "Come on sweetie, have some." " I can't." "Mouths too dry." "I'm not waisting food, Meg." "I made this toast for you." "What do you want me to do?" "Throw it out?" "Just leave it here." "I'll eat it in a little while." "It'll bring bugs." "Roaches and ants." "I'm not having bugs in my house." "You eat it now." "While it's fresh." "I'll eat it sooner, I promise, it's just..." "It's hard for me now so..." "I'll drink the tea." "Ok?" "Nobody said it was easy." "You're a woman, Meg, and that's hard." "Not easy." "Eat it." "Goddam you, you broke my cup." "You think tea is cheap?" "I didn't." "Right, Ruth?" "What about this?" "Who's gonna clean up the goddam mess?" "I will." "I'm sorry." "Susan..." "Suzy, come here." "You boys get hold of Meg, in case she decides to get mean or stupid." "Okay, you stand here." "This is how we clean the floor." "By cleaning the slate." "We're gonna make a new rule." "You disobey... you wise-mouth me, you sass me, anything like that, missy... and she pays for it." "We'll try that." "Do you think that's fair, Suzie?" "Do you think you should pay for what your trash sister does?" "No." " Of course not." "But nobody said life is fair." "Pull up this little girls skirt and pull down her panties for Mommy." "Hey, where you going?" "Gotta go help my dad at work." "There's a game up at the water tower, later." "Wanna play?" " Nah." "You ever see a guy hit a girl?" "Yeah, I guess so." "Drunks or kids." "You ever figure it's ever okay?" "You mean justified?" " Yeah." "That's a tough one." "I mean a woman can really tick you off sometimes." "But you gotta respect the fact that she's the weaker of the species." "It'd be like being a bully." "But even so..." "I've seen 'em deserve it now and then." "You work in a bar you see that kind of thing." "A woman has a little too much to drink." "She gets abusive, loud." "Woman takes a poke at the man she's with." "What's he supposed to do?" "Just sit there?" "So he whacks her one." "But, Dad, you just said..." " It's the exception that proves the rule." "You should never hit a woman." "And God forbid I ever catch you doing it." "Sometimes... there's nothing else you can do." "You get pushed that far." "You see?" "Look, it works both ways." "Best advice." "Keep your hands to yourself, mind your own business." "Men or women." "That's how you stay out of trouble." "Hi, Susan." "Ruth around?" "She's upstairs resting." "I can't make them stop." "Do you know?" " I know." "I would if I could." "Don't you think it's had enough?" " Bullshit." "C'mon you piece of shit." "Get up." "Your turn to tie her up." "Forget something, Davy?" "I'm sorry." "I have something to tell you." "Quit moving." "Good morning, Davy." "Grab yourself a beer if you want." " Maybe later." "Shit." " Dammit, Donnie." "Now we gotta cauterize." "Shut up." "Shut up or I'll do it again." "Answer it." "Go slow." "Go easy." "Did you hear me?" "I said:" "Shut up or I'll do it again." "Ruth?" "Don't you think, I mean, if it's somebody, should you be leaving it to them?" "Don't you think you oughtta handle it, Ruth?" "Suppose it's Mr. Jennings again." "Who?" " The cops, Ruth." "I can...watch her for you." "Watch her?" " To make sure she doesn't run away." "You watch her." "Good idea." "One sound down here, and I promise I'll kill the both of you." "Not just punish you, kill you." "Dead." "You got that, Davy?" "Are we straight about that?" "Good." "Very good." "Here she is." "Afternoon, Mrs. Chandler." "I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd stop by, see how the girls are doing." "Why!" "How thoughtful." "They're just fine." "Come in, please." "The girls are out shopping right now." "Would you like some coffee?" " No thank you, Mrs. Chandler." "How 'bout some lemonade to go?" "It's such a hot day." "No thank you." "I'm gonna get you out of here, Meg." "I've got some money." "You're gonna be okay." "I'm right here to make sure that nothing happens to Susan." "And then we can come back and make sure she's ok, too." "Go back to the cops." "Show them this." "Tonight." "I promise." "This one's my little shadow." "Mrs. Chandler, I..." "Everyone calls me Ruth." "I recieved a phone call from Mrs. Marino up the street." "It seems her eldest boy, Tony..." "Oh!" "Tony we know him very well." "Such a sweet boy." "Tony told his mother that he'd seen several other boys from the neighborhood over here, beating up on Meg." "You know kids, Officer Jennings, they are always exaggerating." "It was probably just a little rough-housing." "He said they were using her like a punching bag." "You boys know about anything like that?" "How did you know?" " Know what?" "Did you tell him?" " Tell him?" "Tell what?" "What are you talking about?" "Don't fuck with me, David." "Mom said you told her it might be Jennings at the door." "So who the hell do you think that was?" "It was just a guess." " Pretty fucking good guess, man." "Look, I was just trying to get Ruth..." " Get her to what?" "To get her moving, for Christ's sake." "You've seen her." "She looks like a freakin' zombie, down here." "She did get pretty weird." "I guess so." "What about Meg?" " What about Meg?" "We got to, at least, put something on those burns it'll get infected." "Fuck her." "I'm ain't even sure I'm done with her yet." "But then again..." "Maybe, I am." "I don't know." "I just don't know." "Ralphie, turn that TV down." "I'll leave the bolt on the back door open." "They'll think they just forgot." "Give me, maybe, half an hour." "Here, take this." " David, David, I can't, I can't." "If something goes wrong." "And they find it on me." "They'll know somebody's been here." "We'd never get another chance." "Leave it for me..." "At the big rock." "Get me word, if you can." "Really." "You need to." "I'm so sorry." " It's okay." "It's what you do last that counts." "Come in." "Close the door behind you." "You stay." "That's what you're good for, girl." "You probably got the Clap, now, but nevermind." "They got cures these days." "I want my mommy." " Shut the fuck up." "Who else wants a turn?" "Eddie?" "Davy?" "I do." "I don't know about that." "Your brother just had her, seems kinda like incest to me." "Come on, mom." " I don't think so." "Not that that little whore would give a damn, but..." "I'd feel... a whole lot better if it was Eddie or Davy." "Maybe not, boy's sensible." "I know I wouldn't touch her." "But I'm not a man, then, am I?" "I just want to cut her." " Yeah!" "Me too." "Cut her?" "Why not let Donnie fuck her?" " Shut up, I'm talking to Ralphie." "Cut her how, baby?" "Put something on her, so people'd know she's a whore." "Let us cut her, Mom." " Ok." "Ruth!" " What?" "You're not really doing this." "Kids said we could." "So I guess we will." "You know what this bitch tried to do last night?" "She tried to get out of here." "Somebody left the door open." "We figure it was Donnie." "'Cause he was the last one down here." "And besides, he's always been sweet on her." "Why can't I?" " What?" "Fuck her." "Because I said so, goddammit." "It's incest." "You want to go skinny-dipping in your own brothers' scum?" "You're disgusting." "Just like your goddam father." "Don't talk to me." "Ruth, you can't do this." "Can't?" "It isn't right." "Please don't tell me whats right, boy." "Don't you ever tell me." "Here we go." "We'll have to heat it through." "Otherwise she'll get an infection." "I'm wanna get the hell outta here." " You're not going anywhere." "I don't want to see this." "Then close your fucking eyes." "You see?" "Now it's there forever, Meggie." "You'll never have to get married." "Can't take your clothes off." "Not for anybody." "You're better off." "No man will want you." "Never have the burden of kids." "You're lucky." "You thought it was good to be cute." "To be sexy." "A woman is better off loathsome in this world." "She ain't so much anymore." " I told you." "See?" "A woman knows these things." "Nah." "She ain't much at all." "You boys better string her up again." "Wait a minute." "We got her so no man will ever want her." "The problem is, see..." "Meg may still want him." "Life of toement there." "A woman doesn't want a man all over her body." "She just wants him in one particular place." "You girls know what I'm talking about?" "Well, darlings, you will." "A woman wants a man between her legs." "One little spot." "You take out that spot..." "You know what happens?" "You take out all of her desire." "You take it out forever." "It works." "They do it some places, all the time, like it's just the usual thing to do when a girl reaches certain age." "Places like Africa, New Guinea," "They even consider it a civilized practice." "I'm figuring." "Why not here?" "We just take out that one little spot." "We'll burn it out." "And then our Meg will be perfect." "Oh, Fuck!" "Just where the hell do you think you're going?" "Off to tell that stuckup bitch of a mother of yours?" "Or how 'bout Officer Jennings?" "Well, I guess you're with her now." "Not quite sure what we'll do with you yet, but we'll figure something out." "Just be glad you haven't got a little spot like she's got." "Then again, you've got two friends of your own to worry about." "Don't you?" "Tie him up, boys." "Where were we?" "David?" "Do you hate me?" " Of course not." "You should." " And Meg should too." "'Cause it's all my fault." "Without Me, Meg could have gone last night, and not come back." "She tried, Susan." "She tried, and they caught her." "They caught her when she came upstairs to get me." "She got out somehow." "I did it." "I let her out." "She was supposed to come back for you later." "Why didn't she just run?" "I think...because... sometimes Ruth..." "She touches me." "And once she made me bleed." "And I told Meg," "And Meg got real mad and told Ruth that she knew what she did." "And then Ruth beat her again." "Beat her bad." "She should have gone without me." "I didn't mean for her to get hurt." "Easy." "It'll be okay." "No Meg, don't do that." "Yes it's me, and Susan's here too." "It hurts so...bad." "Don't move." "I'm sorry, Meg." "I'm sorry." "It's okay, Susan." "We...tried." "Pleasant night?" "Suppertime, I think..." "When I don't come home my parents will worry." "I can't, David." "I can't anymore." " Just rest." "Gotta find something to hurt them." "To get us out of here." "There is nothing." "You know how many things I've tried?" "There's this." "Maybe." "But we need something else though." "Put the knife down!" "I said put it down!" "Get him out of here." "What happened?" "It was Ruth, Mr. Jennings." "It was Ruth." "She did this to Meg." "Now she's in trouble." "Stay here with her." " C'mon." "It's okay." "David." " Shh." "Don't talk." "Do me a favor?" "Sure." "Can you get my mother's ring back for me?" "Thank you." "I thought, at first, you were a dream." "I think you've been that for me." "A dream." "But it was no dream." "You have never let go of me." "I don't understand." "Wish I could... not hurt down there." "You're taking care of me now, aren't you?" "Yes." "And Susan too?" "Yes." "I think we're gonna make it." "...think I love you." "No!" "The past catches up to you." "Whether you like it or not." "It can be a gift, or a curse." "If you let it." "I will never forget the gift of Meg Loughlin." "Though I am plagued with the torment of feeling again... of failing somebody." "But as she taught me..." "It's what you do last, that counts."