"My God." "There's an awning on the new store." "There's still soap on all the windows." "So?" "They're hiding something." "I don't think so, Nettie." "I think it's just going to be some kind of antique store is all." "I'm never going over there." "Hey, Raider." "How are you, buddy?" "Good to see you." " Hi, Nettie." " Hi." " Is Polly around?" " Gosh, yes." "It's lunchtime." "Hi." " Morning, Frank, Father Meehan." " Hi, Alan." "Good afternoon." " Smoked turkey on rye?" " Not today." "Think I'll try one of your specials today." "So I'll have..." "What's that?" "I'll have that." "Delicious salami provolone, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and two kinds of mustard in a pita pocket." "I wouldn't." "Okay, how about smoked turkey on rye?" "Good order." " Smoked turkey, rye!" " And a big piece of Nettie's apple pie." "So how's your day so far?" "A little crazy, actually." "Did I tell you I got the photos back..." ""You won't believe your eyes." ""Needful things." ""A new kind of store." ""You won't believe your eyes. "" "It says so right there." "Then it must be true." "So, who's the new owner?" "Nobody knows." "Not from around here is all." "Aren't you supposed to be in school?" "Got a cold." "Hello?" " Is anyone here?" " I'm here." "The door was unlocked." "I didn't bust in." "Of course it's unlocked." "I'm open." "You've been here before." " No." " Sure you have." "I never forget a face." "Who are you?" "My name is Leland Gaunt." "And you are?" "Brian Rusk." "Nice meeting you, sir." "I'm equally pleased to make your acquaintance, Master Brian." "Now, what would you fancy?" " Fancy?" " What would you like?" "Everything that's here is for sale, but not everything that's for sale is here." "I have a basement, you see." "Are you from overseas somewhere?" "I'm from Akron." " Where's that?" "England?" " That's in Ohio." "What do you know?" "There's Wilma Jerzyk and her husband Pete." "What do you suppose they're up to?" "Buying feed for their turkey farm?" "Roast turkey?" "No, she's a crazy person." "Now, what'll it be?" "A Walkman!" " A mountain bike." " I already got one." " Air Jordans." " I don't know." " Sure, yeah, I guess." " Of course not." "Those are just objects, aren't they?" "Just things." "Nothing really important." "Suppose you had one wish, Brian." "What would you say?" " A wish?" " One wish." "Just one." "To make you happy." "What would make you happy again?" "Let's see, where do we start?" " What could I possibly have around here..." " Mickey Mantle?" " Little before your time, wasn't he?" " Yeah." "I meant the baseball card." "I mean, me and my dad, we used to collect them." "Topps or Fleers?" "Topps." "We had a whole collection of 56 baseball cards." "Al Kaline, Whitey Ford, Roy Campanella, guys of that caliber?" "We have every Yankee except Mickey Mantle." "I mean, Moose Skowron was over $65." "Skowron is one thing." "Mickey Mantle." "That's got to run $600, $700." "You asked me." "I believe I might have something that'll make you very happy, Brian." "Stay right here." "My God." "Look at my butt." " I look awful." " No, you look fabulous." "Pol, you know how you're always saying that I'm not all that serious about us?" "This is your camera, right?" "I don't look like this." " I'll commit suicide if I look like this." " Polly, I..." "Will you marry me?" "Sure, whenever you're serious about it." "I gotta check Nettie." "Make sure she doesn't burn the French fries again and put me in the poor house." "Polly..." "I am serious." "Mickey Mantle!" ""Topps, 1956."" "Signed, "To my good friend Brian. "" "Wait a minute." "Brian is my name." "That's impossible." ""Best wishes, Mickey Mantle. " Now, close your eyes, Brian." "Close your eyes." "Now, then." "How much would you pay for this card, Brian?" "Mickey Mantle." "Topps, 1956." "Signed, "To my good friend Brian. "" "No, listen, all I got here..." "The buyer must never tell the seller how much he has." "If you can't tell a lie, then be still." "The first rule of fair trade, Master Brian." " So what do you think?" " I can't breathe yet." "It's not as great as it looks." "I got it off the TV." "Such a liar." " Put it on?" " Yeah." "Does that mean yes?" " Yeah." "Yeah?" " Yes." "No." "95 cents!" "Now we're getting somewhere." "Not quite enough, okay?" "But an intriguing offer nonetheless." "Let's call it half the price, shall we?" "Yes." "Half the price is 95 cents." "The price you paid cash." "The rest the other half is a deed." "You understand?" " A deed?" " A trick." "More like a tiny prank." "No big deal." "And no one's ever going to suspect you." "I promise." "Do you remember that lady we peeked at buying feed across the street?" "Yeah, Wilma Jerzyk." "The turkey farmer." "You know where she lives?" "Out of the car." "I said, "Get out of the car. "" "Now." "Is this your name on this goddamn ticket, Ridgewick, or is it a forgery?" " You're parked in the crip space." " The what?" " You can't come in here..." " The what?" "The handicapped space." "We've told you about it before, Buster..." "What did you call me?" "Did you call me Buster?" "Touch me again, I'll throw you in the cell!" "I mean it!" "It's Danforth!" "Danforth Keeton III who is Head Selectman of this piss pot little town." "I could get you fired off the force in two..." "Make that one second flat." " Am I getting through to you, Norris?" " I told him to write the ticket." "In that case, my mistake." "Jesus, Dan, what in hell's got into you today?" "Nothing got into me!" "I'm just sick and tired of self-important little pricks." " Pusillanimous assholes..." " That's enough!" "I try to do a lot for this town." "I accomplish a lot for this town." "In fact, I am this town." "And I am sick and tired of this goddamn persecution." " I am not persecuting you, Danforth." " He called me Buster!" " You know how I feel about that." " Then he'll apologize." "Won't you, Norris?" " Don't know that I will." " You will." "Now." "I'm sorry." " I'm sorry that I called you Buster." " Yeah, you mama's boy." "You candy-assed..." "Shut up, you bloated, cigar-sucking used car salesman." "Boats, shithead!" "I sell quality preowned yachts, you miserable fucking scuzz bucket..." "Shut up!" "Shut up!" "When I moved here, I thought, "Great, I'm out of the big city. "" "I'm in a place where people won't be crawling up each other's asshole every day." "Where maybe my biggest nightmare was gonna be getting a cat out of a tree." "But forget that!" "Everybody is insane everywhere!" "So you guys just fight it out between you." "One of you kill each other, and who's ever left, I'll throw in jail." "You can do it." "I know you can." "He's not gonna bite." "But what will I say?" "You introduce yourself. "Hi." "I'm Nettie. "" "Then what?" "Nettie, just go." "You'll be fine." "Go on." "Hi." "I'm Nettie." "Thank you." "It's only 19th century." "I'm sorry." "Enjoy your purchases." "What's this?" "Some old wood chisel?" "It belonged to a cabinet maker at Château de Versailles in the days of Louis XVI." "Look at this, Pete." "Looks pretty old." "Yep." "My God." "I didn't think we had room for another soul in here." "Hi." "My name is Nettie." "That stupid dog barks at me once more I won't bother complaining to Sheriff Pangborn again." " I'll come over your place, skin him alive." " No, not in here." "Dear God, please!" " Throw her Baptist ass in the street." " I will not." "Dear ladies, let's all be friends." "Can't we all be friends?" "Not in this life." "Please, not in my place." "I'm sorry." "Ladies, excuse me!" "Miss Jerzyk!" "Pick it up." "Go ahead." "Go on." "Don't be afraid, Miss Cobb." "No." "I had one just like it years ago." "But it got broke." " My husband..." " Your husband?" "Then it's Mrs. Cobb." "Although my George has been passed on for some time now." " He died, untimely." " I'm so sorry to hear that." "No need to be sorry." "It's been seven years since he was..." "Murder is awful." " I didn't mean to." " Of course not." "It wasn't you who took that meat fork from the drawer and stuck it in his throat." "Are you leaving, Mrs. Roberts?" "I'll have to think about it." "It is a lot of money." "You think about it." "So will I." "You baked this?" "Of course." "Homemade every day from apples picked down at the Mayflowers'." "Polly Chalmers, my boss, sent it over." "Go ahead." "Take him." " I'm scared I'll drop it again." " You won't drop it." "Come, Mrs. Cobb." "Please, sit down." "Listen." "Sometimes I think I can hear the tiniest laugh." "I like you, Netitia." "I won't yell at you, like George did." "You moron!" "No!" "I think it should be yours, Netitia." "I need to go to work." "I'll see you soon." "I'll drop by for a bite." "Mr. Keeton eats there most every day, does he not?" "Yeah." "Danforth Keeton." "And everybody calls him Buster behind his back." "Why is that?" "Pray tell." "I don't know." "Maybe someone should play a trick on Buster." "Teach him to be nice." "My husband played a lot of tricks on me." "Maybe it would be fun to play one on someone else." "Nobody would ever know it was you, I promise." "Welcome to Needful Things." "Alan Pangborn." " The sheriff around these parts." " Leland Gaunt." "Owner." " So, what can I sell you, Sheriff?" " Me?" "Nothing." "I got everything I need, thanks." "Fair enough." "How about a piece of pie?" "Your fiancée Ms. Chalmers sent it over." " My fiancée?" " Such a pretty lady." "You're a lucky man, Sheriff." "I'll be back." "Goodness." "I wish I had some cheddar cheese." "But beggars can't be choosers, can they?" "Certain we haven't met somewhere before, have we?" "What, you and me?" "In a big city." "You look familiar, Al." "You look out of place here, actually." "You don't mind my saying so, so do you, Leland." "So, where are you from?" "Ohio." "Akron, to be precise." "Pittsburgh." "I'm from Pittsburgh." "So, why did you leave?" "I was a cop there, and I got tired of all the shit going down." "And one day I just lost it." "I hit this guy." "Way too hard." "I reckon he needed some killing." "But it was still wrong." "Of course it was." "Yeah." "So I left, and now I'm here." "So am I." " Reverend." " Sheriff." " Alan, thanks for coming!" " Afternoon, Father." " Hi, Sheriff." " I got this in the mail this morning." ""Listen up, you mackerel snapper. "" " Excuse me." " "We've tried to reason with you..." ""... but it's been no use." "We have put up with your Popish idolatry..." ""... and even with your licentious worship of the Babylon whore..." ""... but now you've gone too far. "" ""Babylon whore. " I mean, saints preserve us." ""Heed our warning." "Give up your plan to turn this town..." ""... into a den of thieves and gamblers, or you will smell the brimstone." ""'The wicked shall be turned into hell. ' Psalms 9:17." ""The concerned Baptist men of Castle Rock. "" "It's that idiot, Reverend Willie Rose." "Maybe you shouldn't have called it "Casino Night. "" "For God's sake, Alan." "It's only a little charity gambling." "I mean, I don't know why it upsets the Baptists so." "I'll go talk to Rever..." "When I was younger, people got along better!" "I'll go talk to him." "I'll get to the bottom of it." "You do that, Alan." "And when you do, you tell Rose that if he tries to bump us he'll find out just how hard we "mackerel snappers" can bump back!" "Pete, get me a gobbler from the pen!" "I feel like turkey tonight." "You feel like turkey every night, Wilma." "Wilma!" " What happened?" " Mud!" "Mud and shit!" "Goddamn turkey shit!" "Why'd someone go and do that?" " Because I told her I'll kill it." " Told who?" "Dot." " Yes, just a sec." "It's for you." " Me?" "Okay, it's the square key." "All the doors." "Don't forget the lights." "You can do it." "You'll be fine." " I'll see you in the morning." " Night." "Hi." "This is Nettie." "I know what you done, you crazy bitch!" "Done what?" "Fucking with me was the worst mistake you ever made." "I'm going to get you for this, you understand?" "You and your mutt!" "You don't dare!" "You stop bothering me and my Raider!" " He's a good doggie!" " You won't see me coming!" "Guy sounds like he's havin' a fucking pepoleptic fit." "Yep." "Don't kick the Rock-Ola, Hugh." "You hear me?" "How you doing at the tracks, Dan?" "Horses finally running your way?" "Every time, Henry." "Every goddamn time." "I'm gonna kick that jukebox wide open, you don't fix it, Henry." "All right." "That's it." "You're out of here." "Give me that back." "Any of you fellas heading up to Castle Hill?" "Hugh needs a lift." "Pink slip is what Hugh needs." "For a city employee making an ass of himself in a public tavern." "Yep." "Nice to have friends." "You know, Henry?" "They do it at night." "They come in, and they take out the mirrors and they put in a piece of one-way glass and stick a camera on the other side of it." "Then they watch you, and they laugh at you." "And they take down every single word you say." "Yeah." " You're drenched to your soul." " They threw me out!" " I'm sorry." " Here." "Let me help you peel this thing off, before you catch your death." "You got a nice jacket in the window." "A classic early-'50s beauty." "Warm as toast." "Dry as a bone." "It's just like the one I used to have in high school, before I was a bum." "When I was a kid." "I'll bet there are quite a few people in this shit pit of a town who wouldn't believe you ever were a kid." "I know." "It's not fair." "I try so hard." "Not hard enough." "So they crushed you." "They buried that wonderful boy deep inside you." " Which boy?" " This one." "We'll find him again, Hugh." "We'll resurrect him together." "Because, all of a sudden, it's 1955 all over again." "It was the best hour of the best day of my life." " God, I loved that jacket." " Which jacket?" "This one." "This jacket, Hugh." "You could recover, retrace your steps." "Take charge of your life again." "God, this is still so beautiful." "Say, Hugh, do you happen to know a nice little Baptist lady called Nettie Cobb?" "Sure." "Crazy old wretch killed her husband." "How much do you want for it?" " Mr. Gaunt?" " I am he." "Reverend Rose, sir, of the First Baptist Church of Castle Rock." "May I take this opportunity to welcome you to Castle Rock on the good Lord's behalf?" " Why not?" " Excellent." "It's my unusual urgency when I ask, what faith, sir, are you?" " What faith?" " Religion." " You're not Catholic, are you?" " You might say that I am nondenominational." " I knew it!" "Then you will have little objection to my placing this in your front window." "I couldn't possibly do that." "You see, I, like you, am here to serve everyone." "However, by way of compensation perhaps I may offer you something, which might interest you." "Say, how about an objet d'art?" "What is your preference, Reverend?" "Asian, Roman?" "That is 2nd century, Reverend." "Wasn't it St. Augustine who said, "Make me chaste, O Lord." ""But not yet, not yet"?" "Father." "Reverend." ""Paper packages tied up with strings" ""These are a few of my favorite things"" "Yes." "I'm so thrilled." "Thank you, Mr. Gaunt." "Treasure Island." "First edition, actually." "Signed by Robert Louis Stevenson himself." " It's magnificent." " Take a gander." "If it's too hot in here, Mr. Jewett, just say the word." "I'm afraid I have a tendency to turn up the heat." "Hello, Ms. Chalmers." " My goodness." "What's wrong?" " Where did you..." "How long have you been there?" "I was just hoping for a cup of coffee." "I didn't realize you were closing." "Coffee?" "Sure, no problem." " You're Mr. Gaunt." " And you're Polly Chalmers." "I'm sorry, I don't shake hands." "I have..." "Arthritis." "Forgive me." "I forgot." "You've been having a devil of a time with it lately, haven't you?" "Yes." "How did you know?" "Nettie told me." "Here." "Just a tiny thank-you note for that remarkable pie." "My Lord." "I don't think I ever had a tastier cup of coffee." "You wouldn't, by any chance, have something in the way of a doughnut?" "Something I might dunk, Ms. Chalmers?" "Please, we're going to be neighbors." "Why don't you call me Polly?" "Go on." "Oh, no!" "No!" "No!" "Shit!" " Dan, it's me." " Jesus!" "What the hell are you doing?" "You scared the hell out of me, sneaking up on me like that." " Put the gun down, Dan." " Yeah." "Another couple of seconds, I would've been out of here." "You would've missed me." " What can I do for you?" " I had a call from the state auditors." "Yeah?" "We have an Appropriations Committee meeting next week to discuss budgets." " Guess what." "It's on my calendar." " They wanna be there." "They want me to bring them printouts, shit from city hall." "Yeah, you know those bastards." "They're on some kind of fishing expedition." "What the hell's going on?" "I've been having some bad luck at the track lately." "So I borrowed some money from the town petty cash fund to cover the shortfall." "Jesus, Dan." "I'm gonna pay it back." "I was gonna pay it back before next week." " Honest to God." " How much we talking about here?" " $20,000." " $20,000?" "Jesus Christ!" "I'm getting a loan on my dealership to pay it back, from Boston." "When?" "Any day now." "Two days, four days, next week." "Four days?" "Done." "You stall them for me, all right?" " Yeah." "I will." "Till Monday." " Okay, thanks a lot..." " Believe me, I'll make it worth your while." " Like hell, you will." "Just pay it back." "I just meant if you wanted a deal on a new boat." "It's all I meant, I swear." "Whatever you want." "And for Polly, too." " I'll get her a deal on..." " Monday!" "How's my boy?" "You have something that's mine, Brian, that you haven't finished paying for." " But you said I could have it if..." " The dealing isn't done, you see until Mr. Gaunt says the dealing is done." "And away they go!" "She's A Hell-Raiser breaks on top and goes straight to the lead...  ... followed by Confucius Sings and Mr. Lee." "Lots Of Luck having a go wide, turning." "She's A Hell-Raiser..." "Yeah!" "Boy, what the hell?" " That was pretty fine." " Fine as paint." " Can I..." " Careful." "See, this is no ordinary toy." " What is it?" " You see, the man who sold this to me his father made their fortune from it." "Every morning he'd take the day's racing form and run its races before they ever happened one by one, right on this board." "He'd give each tin horse the real name from the paper do it just by touching and whispering." " A brand-new name." " Citation." "Sea Biscuit, Well Away..." " Seattle Slew." " Man O' War." "Whoever were running that day." "Wind her up, let her go." "Run the whole damn slate that way!" "Northern Dancer." "Eight, ten, a dozen races." "Then go right to the track, and bet on those fillies that won on this astonishing toy from Japan Incorporated." "He'd rake in the cash, Dan." "Rake in the goddamn cash." "Rake in the cash." "How much?" "Good day to you." " Good morning, Father." " Father." " What do you want?" " Coffee and the usual." "Hey, Corn Cobb." " What's the button on your boob?" " You're crazy." " You leave me alone!" " Take it easy, Nettie." "Put the knife down." "Put it down." "Okay, Wilma." "What'll it be?" "Raider on rye, a little glass of puppy pus, and two nice doggie eyes." " Why don't you just order up or get out?" " Wilma." " Shit." " It's okay." "I'll go talk to her." "April Dreaming, Junction Salute." "She's A Hell-Raiser." "Tammy's Wonder, Easy Sweep." "That's My Boy." "Yes, okay, little puppies." "You ready now?" "Let's run a good race." " Ready, set, go!" " And away they go!" "And it's Tammy's Wonder." "April Dreaming." "Junction Salute on the outside." "And Easy Sweep is far back." " Into the far turn." " Neck and neck!" " Tammy's Wonder on the inside..." " Tammy's Wonder!" "Tammy's Wonder's gonna go on to win." "Tammy's Wonder from April Dreaming." "We've got Love My Martinis, Trentier Doubter's Ridge, Rancadoo By George, and Confucius Sings." "Little Chinese puppy." "Okay, fellas, now, let's go." "Make money for daddy!" "And they're off!" " It's the white one, the red one." " Danforth?" "It's the green one." "God, they're beautiful." "Look at those beautiful horses!" "Run, run, run!" "Come on!" "Come on." "Come on, horsies." "Who's gonna win here?" " Danforth?" " Goddamn it!" "Go away!" "I'll be out when I'm out." " Aren't you going to work?" " I am at work!" "Would you like me to go down to the bakery and maybe get some honey-dipped doughnuts?" "Yeah." "Honey-dipped doughnuts." "Yeah, toilet paper, a nose job." "Just leave me alone!" "You ready now?" "Let's run a good race." "Ready, set, go!" "They're off!" "And they're coming around the corner." "It's a runaway victory!" "Yeah!" "Come on, come on!" "Yeah!" "Good boy." "Sit." "Stay." "Mommy's got to go scoot and do something for Mr. Gaunt before it gets dark." "But don't you worry." "Mommy's going to lock all our doors from now on." "Stay." "Lovely day." "Come on, girls." "The crowd is tense." "Brian Rusk doing the pitching." "And let me tell you, he is really sensational." "He's working on the no-hitter." "We're in the bottom of the ninth inning." "A count of 2 and 2 on the batter." "Two men on base, but Brian has walked them both." "Right now, he's checking the runners leading off first and second." "He's gotten the sign from the catcher, the runners lead away...  ... and here's the pitch." "Strike three!" "How about that?" "Will he make that no-hitter, or will he not?" "Brian Rusk." "Man alive!" "Is he really sharp today." "Sensational control of his 90 mile-an-hour fast ball." "Still the chance of the no-hitter, and he's ready to work." "Rusk has got a swift curve ball that's dipping and darting." "And his fast ball, they can't touch it." "Brian Rusk is delivering a performance...  ... that can take the Yankees to another World Series." "How about that?" "Brian Rusk is ready, and he delivers." "And the pitch..." "Jesus Christ." "Good girls." "Yessiree." "We're having fun now." "Raider!" "Little pal!" "Raider." "How they hanging?" "Good fella." "Yeah." "Ain't you?" "And ain't you got a face just cute as a baby bug?" "Yes, you do." "And you know what I got?" "I got a beautiful jacket." "Yes, I do." "And you know what else?" "I'm gonna keep it." "They're rounding the bend, and yellow, and white, and pink..." ""Punky Boy. " Yeah." ""Gasco Thunder, Hooded Lady, Mr. P, Lotsa Luck, and Rosie D..." ""..." "Punky Boy, Raise The Dead, Frank's The Name, Gimme Shelter..." ""..." "Sudden Fame. "" "God!" "I'll kill him!" "I'll fucking kill him!" "Ridgewick!" "Raider?" "Mommy's home." "Raid?" "What the fuck?" "That bitch!" "You killed my doggie, you bitch!" "You broke my microwave, you crazy fuck!" "Wilma?" "See the windows?" "They're busted!" "Wilma?" "You all right?" "Come on, bitch." "Come for me, if you're coming." "Wilma." "There's nothing quite so invigorating as a crisp fall day in New England." " Don't you agree?" " Mr. Gaunt..." "Leland." "I'm sorry." "I can't even think." "Believe me, Polly, I know you're in pain, so I shall dispense with the small talk." "I'll give you the item I called you about and send you home." " Give it to me?" " More or less." "But let's leave that until later, shall we?" "When it rains, it pours." "They're after me." "Go upstairs, Mr. Keeton, to my apartment." "Make yourself a nice cup of tea." " I'll be with you in a minute." " I don't have a minute." "Go upstairs." "It was funny." "They were actually feeling much better." "Then just a few minutes before you called, they started swelling up like..." "I know a great deal about the past." "Now, this is very, very old." "Egyptian." " Not as old as the pyramids, but still..." " Do you have a glass of water?" " I need to take my pills." " Not any longer." "You see, this is called an Azca." "It is a tool of Bencalitis." "White magic." " They say it wards off pain." " Yes." "Please, my pills." " Really, I'm not superstitious." " Doesn't matter, Polly." "This is." "I'm sorry." "Must be the storm." "What storm?" "I assure you, there is one coming." "Put it inside your sweater." "Wear it right next to your skin, Polly." "My hands." "I can't even unbutton my sweater." "You must never take it off, Polly." "Not ever." "A heinous double-murder, or a bizarre act of revenge gone awry?" "Sheriff Alan Pangborn is unable to comment." "No, don't tell me." "They've been in your house." " They sent Norris Ridgewick." " Yes." "Yeah, how did you know?" "They're so predictable." "I need your advice." "I think I should kill Norris Ridgewick." "No." "That would make things far too easy for them, Dan." "They'd come get you, hunt you down like an animal." "Cop killer." "No." "They'd have a party." "They'd get all liquored up at Sheriff Pangborn's office." "They'd go out to Homeland Cemetery and urinate on your grave." "Shit." "I hate this place." " I hate these people." " But they're all part of it, Dan." "You know that." "All your weasely fellow selectmen, all your so-called friends." "But Sheriff Pangborn, he's the big-shot ringleader." "He came in from the outside, Dan, to take over your town." "And, boy, would he love it if you blew away one of his little drones." " So what should I do?" " Nothing." "I'll keep this gun for a while." "Save you from yourself." "You just go to the races tonight, Dan, and win yourself a bundle." "Sow confusion and uncertainty amidst the enemy, yes?" "Yeah." "Confusion and uncertainty." "That's my boy." "In the meantime I'm laying my own plans." "And when the great moment comes for everything you do, Danforth this one is for you." "O mighty and eternal God...  ...hear our prayers for your daughter Wilma whom you have taken from this life to yourself." "Grant her light, happiness, and peace." "Let her pass in safety through the gates of death and dwell with all your saints in the blessed light..." ""The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." ""He maketh me to lie down in green pastures." ""He leadeth me beside the still waters." ""He restoreth my soul." ""He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness..." ""... for his namesake." ""Yea, though I walk through the valley... "" "Step aside, please." " I need to talk to the sheriff." " Now, son, sheriff's got his hands full." "You didn't happen to see this happen, did you?" "No." "You have any idea who threw these apples?" " No." " Then maybe you better go on home." "Watch it, kid." "Easy." "Easy, Brian." "Why'd they do it, I mean, if you had to guess?" "You're asking the wrong guy." "I don't understand anyone anymore." "You want the knife or the cleaver?" "I can't believe somebody didn't hear or see something." " Morning, Norris." " Nice of you to drop by, Deputy Ridgewick." "Went by Nettie's again this morning." "Found this in the alley behind her house." "Yeah." "I bet Wilma could've done the job on the dog with that knife, all right." "Congratulations, Deputy." "Nice work." "Run it for prints." " I'll bet you 10-to-1 they're not Wilma's." " Why not?" "I mean, it figures, if Nettie threw the apples, Wilma must've killed the dog." "'Cause Nettie didn't throw those apples." "Would you go to someone to kill him and spend a half hour breaking their windows first?" "If Nettie didn't throw those apples, who did?" "Maybe the same person who killed the damn dog." " Where you going?" " I'm gonna pay Brian Rusk a visit." "I want you to canvass the neighborhood." "Somebody must've seen something." "I'm not shitting you." "The most disgusting murder I've seen in my six years." "Even worse than the lady with the meat grinder." " I don't want to hear." " Hello, sheriff's department." " I'm sorry, Father." "He's not here right now." " Is this for me?" "I'll tell him." "Thank you." "I have no idea what that is, Norris." "It looks like a present, Norris." "Why don't you go and open it?" "Shit!" "Goddamn it!" "Get it off!" " Get it off!" " Hold still, Norris." " Shit!" " There's a note come with it." " Let me see that." " "Crip space is all yours now. "" "Buster." "That son of a bitch!" " Damn!" " Should've read the card first." "Brian, you around?" "Brian, hi." "You were trying to tell me something last night back there at the Jerzyk farm, weren't you?" "What was it?" "Nothing anymore." "What's bothering you, son?" " You don't have to be afraid." " I'm not afraid." "Between you and me, bullshit." " Look, he's a monster." " A what?" "Who?" "I dreamt about him last night, only he's real." "Sometimes if you talk about it, the scary stuff goes away." "No." "Not monsters." "Even monsters, Bri." "Don't come any closer." "You'll get the stuff on you." "Okay, Brian." "Take it easy." "Take it easy, now." "Tell me what you're scared of, and I know we can make it go away." "No." "It's too late." "I got to go." "I got to go to Hell!" "What do you mean?" "Don't go in that store." " Don't go near it!" " Okay, I promise." "I'll never go in there." "What store are you talking about?" "Needful Things?" "It's a poison place." "And he's a poison man." "Who's a poison man?" "Mr. Gaunt." "Only he's not a man." "Mickey Mantle." "1956." "It's signed to you and everything." "It's yours." "Boy, you sure don't want to lose something like this." "Mickey Mantle sucks!" "You asshole!" "That's it for you." "You're out of here!" " Watch the jacket, Henry!" " About time he's out of here." "Miserable little shit!" "I'm gonna fire his butt first thing Monday morning." "Everybody that's got it coming is gonna get it now." "Get out of here!" "You bastard!" " Alan, what's wrong?" " Brian Rusk tried to kill himself." "God." "He's alive." "But I was there, and I could've stopped him." "11-year-old kid tries to eat a bullet." " Why?" " I don't know." "Polly, did Nettie ever say anything to you about Gaunt?" "Anything strange?" "What do you mean?" "You got any aspirin?" "My head's ripped apart." "Henry Beaufort." "That bastard, runs the Mellow Tiger, cut my tires threw me out in the rain in my beautiful jacket." "Maybe then you should just go take care of Henry once and for all, Hugh." " Once and for all?" " Yeah." "Don't be afraid of it, Hugh." "Guns don't kill people." "People kill people." "Hugh, I've been in this business a long time." "When I started out, I was just a poor wandering peddler on the blind face of a distant land." "Moving, always moving." "Always gone." "Asia, Anatolia Palestine, Macedonia year after year after year." "But in the end, I always offered them weapons." "And they always bought." "But of course, I was gone before they finally realized what they'd purchased." "Jesus." "The young carpenter from Nazareth?" "I knew him well." "Promising young man." "He died badly." "What is this?" "Gaunt gave this to you?" " He didn't give it to me." " It made the pain go away, didn't it?" "Take it off." "It's a disease that looks like a cure." "Are you crazy?" "Take it off." "I want to see what's inside this thing." "No!" "Jesus." "What's the matter with you?" "Don't you want me to feel better?" " Take it easy, will you?" " No, you take it easy." "They're my hands." "You're not the one who can't sleep at night." "You're not the one with the oversized buttons on the telephone." "Yeah, and the oversized Percodan prescription." "Hello." "Yes, he is." "He's right here." "Whoever he is." "Yeah?" "Okay." "That's what I thought." "Thanks, Norris." "Mr. Leland Gaunt never ran a business in Akron, Ohio." "You checked on him?" "He's a con man, or something worse." "There's been two murders and an attempted suicide in this quiet town in the last 48 hours and Mr. Gaunt is at the bottom of it." " Wilma Jerzyk killed Nettie." "Brian shot himself." "You were there." " Where you going?" "It's pouring." " Good." "He'll be home." "Put it on." "Put it back on, Polly." "The pain will go away." "I promise." "What's inside it?" "I have to know." "I'm terribly sorry." "I can't tell you that." "That would spoil the fun, wouldn't it?" "$20." "Does that seem a fair price to ease the pain?" "My purse." "$20." "And a small favor." "What sort of favor?" " He's a liar." " No, he's not." " And a thief." " No." "Alan and old Buster Keeton have been embezzling from the town treasury, dear lady." "And the tax man is closing in." "Check his boat if you don't believe me." "All he's going to do is cause you pain." "Do as I say and you'll never feel pain again, Polly." "You see, when everything else is gone isn't a young woman at least entitled to her pride the coin without which your purse is entirely empty?" "Please." "I've always enjoyed those ladies who take great pride in themselves." "Polly, you must realize what a deep pleasure it is doing business with you." "Alan?" " Wake up." " Shit." "Jesus Christ, Alan." " He was there." "Every time, he was there." " What?" "Who?" "Look at this." "England, Ohio, Honolulu, Chicago, Sacramento Cuba, Castle Rock." " Who?" "Who was where?" " Gaunt." "Mr. Leland Gaunt." " Every goddamn time." " Come on, Alan. 1894?" " Sheriff's Department." " It's Polly, Alan." "Where are you?" "I just tried calling your place." " I'm on your boat." "How could you?" " How could I what?" "I want to find him." "Call up Andy and John." "APB, the works." "I also want an APB on Dan Keeton, Hugh Priest." " I'm sorry." "What?" " I found the money, Alan." " Hold it." "What money?" " The money that you and Dan Keeton have been embezzling from the town treasury." "Wait." "What are you talking about?" "I can put two and two together, Alan." "I'm not stupid." "I heard you covering up for him with that tax guy." "I saw the two of you at his dealership." "I'm standing here looking at thousands of dollars on your desk." "Who's been planting this idea in your head?" "You been talking to Gaunt?" "Polly, listen to me." "I don't know what you found, but first of all, if I stole some money you think I'd leave it laying around on my desk?" "The guy is evil." "Don't go near him." "He's Brian's monster." "Somehow..." "There are newspapers, Polly." "He's not a human being." "Andy, this is Norris." "Listen." "Get over to the office right now." "Don't ask why." "Just do it." "Polly, listen to me." "Stay where you are, okay?" "Stay there." "I'm coming right over, okay?" "I'm coming home." "Wait a minute." "What do you mean, "He's a monster?"" "I met the guy." "Listen, he looks like my uncle." "My car!" "You son of a bitch!" "I'll get you!" "I'll get all of you!" "Get this, you fat fuck." "Shit!" "Goddamn!" "Look!" "You think I wouldn't know with your name on every goddamn ticket making fun of me?" "God damn you, son of a bitch!" "You!" "The little prick worked for you!" "Son of a bitch." "You gave that little kid your gun." "What the hell are you thinking, Keeton?" "Norris, you still alive?" "Can you handle this or not?" "Get your breath." "Okay, you all right?" "You okay?" "Look at me." " Yeah!" " Get your shit together." "Lock this son of a bitch up." "I gotta go see Polly." "Alone at last." "You pathetic piece of shit." " I am not a piece of shit!" " Shut up!" " This is for my surprise package." " No!" " No." "Don't." " Buster." "Gotcha." "Polly." "You here?" "Pol?" "Myrtle!" "Come on!" "Myrtle!" "I thought you died on the john." "Danforth." " What's wrong?" " Nothing's wrong." "Things are better than they've been in years." "I just need a little help, that's all." " Danforth, you're handcuffed to the door." " Aren't you the fucking genius?" "Give me that hacksaw, will you?" " What did you do?" " Forget the hacksaw." "Give me that hammer and the big screwdriver." "Now, you moron!" " Where do you think you're going?" " Danforth, I can't reach." "That's a drill." "Did I ask for a drill?" " Why won't you help me?" " Danforth, I can't see." "I guess you want me to let you go so you can run back in the house and call them." "That's one." "Now how about trying for two?" "Yeah." "Danforth, you broke the law, didn't you?" "Did I break their law?" "How about you, Myrtle?" "Did you break the law?" "Did you sleep with him just to humiliate me?" " Who?" "Did I what?" " Norris Ridgewick..." "Did you fuck him after the two of you put up all those parking tickets all over my house?" "No." "And it's our house, Buster." "Stop looking at me, all of you!" "Who are you?" "It's me, Dan." "Your master's voice." "How is it going?" "I killed my wife." "Is that wrong?" " I didn't mean to." " These things happen." " Did she deserve it?" " I don't know." "I really loved her." "There are those times when you simply must hurt the ones you love, Dan." "I just can't picture Danforth Keeton doing something to someone who didn't deserve it." "You aren't that kind of guy, are you?" "No." " I don't know anymore." " Get a hold of yourself, Danforth." "It's no good, all this self-pity." "Why don't you hop in your car, come see me?" "I've got something for you." "I think you'll get a bang out of it." ""Holy Mary, Mother of God." ""Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." "Amen. "" "Hello, Henry." "Hello, Hugh." "Amen." ""Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now..." ""... and at the hour of our death." "Amen. "" " Who are you talking to, Danny boy?" " God." "Just God." "On my time?" "I just want to tell you that I'm really scared." "You tell me nothing." "I tell you everything." " They have it coming, Dan." "You know that." " Yeah, I know." "Why don't you just crush them all now?" "Just split the earth wide open?" "Because I don't work miracles." "I'm not the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." "I'm just one lonely guy." "Please." "I just want to die." "Please, I just want to die." "I won't disappoint you." "I promise." "Come see me when you're done." "Now dig." "I'll dig." "Look." "I'll dig." "Dig." "Dig!" "I'm digging!" " You are disgusting, Dan." " Yes." "I like that in a person." "Yes." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Sorry about Buster." "I fucked up." "I'll get that son of a bitch." "Who's there?" "Alan." "It's late." " I need to talk to you, Father." " What's the matter?" " Do you believe in the Devil, Father?" " I guess I have to." "You can't have one without the other." "Do you believe in God, Alan?" " What's he look like?" " Look like?" "Yeah." "The Devil, what the hell does he look like?" "He looks like you and me, I imagine." "So he could get his claws in us without our ever knowing it." "Make us do things that we normally would never do." " Terrible things." " No, I don't think so, Alan." "People have a choice." " This is a good town." " Right." "It was a good town." "A lot of decent, ordinary people." " Only now the Devil is here." " The Devil's always here, Alan." "He's always in our hearts." "But with the good Lord's help, we can help cast him out." "Not in our fucking hearts." "In our town, right outside, in our streets." "The Devil is in Castle Rock." "His name's Leland Gaunt." "Father." "I need your help to get rid of him." "No." "Leland Gaunt is a decent man." "My God." "He got to you, too." "If there's a devil in this town, it's that damned Reverend Willie Rose." "You believe me now, Father?" "You still think he's a decent man?" " The Devil just blew up your damn church!" " That's not the Devil." "It's those goddamn Baptists!" "Rose!" "Rose!" "Damn you to hell!" "No!" "Father!" " Get out of here!" " Kill them!" "Look out!" "Son of a bitch!" "I'll teach you." "Frank!" "What are you doing?" " The bastard took my Treasure Island." " What?" "Robert Stevenson, first edition!" "Get out of my way!" " You okay?" " I think so." " You all right?" " Yeah." "Go home." "Watch some television." " That's my needful thing!" " Fuck you!" "You crazy son of a bitch!" "Get away from there!" "Come on, move it!" "Go!" "Move it!" "Jesus Christ, Alan, all hell's broke loose." "The Baptists are running around crazy 'cause their church is on fire." "Plus somebody went and killed Myrtle Keeton with a hammer." "What the hell happened here?" "Jesus." " You son of a bitch!" " Norris, no!" " You all right?" " What?" " Are you all right?" " Never felt better." "Call the state police." " Tell them we got a riot on our hands." " My pleasure." "Rose!" "In the name of Christ, man, beg for his mercy 'cause you'll get none from me." "Be struck down by his almighty, swift sword!" " Stop it!" " Meehan, you godless heathen!" "Rot in hell, Willie Rose!" "Drop it!" "Father, stop it!" "You'll kill him." "Fuck you!" "Goddamn it, stop it, or I'll blow your fucking head off!" "Now, there's an idea." " Put the ax down now." " Go to hell." " Shoot him." " Put it down!" " Fuck you!" " Kill him." "Kill him." "Kill them all." "Let God sort them out." "No!" "No!" "You wussy." "No more killing." "Not in Castle Rock!" "Not me, not you, not anybody!" "This shit stops now!" "Listen to me." "All of you." "This man here Leland Gaunt..." "We're waiting." "He came here to destroy us." "To make us destroy ourselves." "Can't you see what's happening here?" "This is what he needs." "This is what he wants." "He's got us all lined up like a bunch of human fuse boxes." "He hot wires Wilma Jerzyk to Nettie Cobb, except he does it with wires from two other fuse boxes:" "Brian Rusk and whoever it was that skinned the poor dog because it wasn't Wilma, was it, Pete?" " No, sir." "Then he crosswires all the rest of us the same way." "What did he make you do, Eddie, Myra, Frank?" "How about you, Karen?" "What price did you have to pay for your needful thing?" "Father Meehan Reverend Rose, look at yourselves." "Cora." "Your little boy's in a hospital because he knew what this man is." "And he tried to tell me, but I got sucked in just like everybody else." "Don't you see what he's done?" "We're all decent people." "We are." "And he's preyed on our weaknesses and our hatred and our greed and our prejudice and our fear." "Don't you understand?" "He runs on hate." "And he's used it to turn us all against each other." "Wilma Jerzyk, Nettie Cobb." "Dan Keeton, Norris Ridgewick." "Alan Pangborn and Polly Chalmers." "He made me steal Mr. Jewett's Treasure Island." "Frank, what did he make you do?" "He made me rip up Ruth Roberts' flower bed." "He made me send that letter to Father Meehan." "I gave the rat trap to Norris Ridgewick." "He had me slash Hugh Priest's tires." "I was the one that planted the money on your boat, Alan." " I'm sorry." " This is pathetic." "You're all so pathetic." "Look at you." "Puppets, all of you." "And he's pulling the strings." "Listen, I dealt as I always do." "I show people what I have to sell and then I let them make up their own mind." "Is that so wrong?" "I ask you." "You're done here, Gaunt." "You're busted." "You're finished in this town." "Alan!" "Anybody's finished in this town, it's you, Pangborn." " Finally, a man with some sense." " You guys sound like a fucking AA meeting." ""Hi." "My name is Dan..." ""... and I'm here to blow up your fucking town. "" "You're all gonna pay big." "Pay huge!" " Be calm, folks." "Don't give him a reason." " I got a reason, you shithead." " I got a lifetime full of reasons." " Talk, talk, talk." " Just blow them away, Dan." " Don't do it, Dan." "Don't let this third-rate bastard turn you into something worse than he is." "Shut up, Pangborn!" "It's too late." "Don't move." "Don't you move." "Time's running out, Buster." "I killed my Myrtle already." "Now I just got to die." "No, you don't, Dan." "You didn't kill your Myrtle." "He did." " You don't have to do this." " Yes, you do." " Yes, I do." " Yes, you do." "I do." "Then take me with you." "Just me." "I'm the ringleader." " Let these other people go." " No." "No." "For Christ's sake, put this town out of its misery, Buster." "They're whipping you, Buster." "They're making you walk their walk and talk their talk." " Just do it, Buster." " You're just like the rest of them." "It's you!" "It was you all along, you cocksucker." "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me." " Yeah, you killed my Myrtle." " Get back." "Don't blame me." ""Blame it on the bossa nova. "" "How about you take some responsibility yourself for once in your life, Buster?" "I just got one thing to say to you." "Don't call me Buster." "God!" "It's all right." " You okay, buddy?" " Yeah." "You?" "Shouldn't have called him Buster." "You know, there are days when I really hate this job." "This is not my best work, not by a long shot." "Sure, a few murders and a couple of rather lovely explosions." "I would hardly call it a rousing success, but what the hell?" "I'll be back." "In the meantime, you and Polly, you are two terrific kids." "And you'll marry her." "Trust me." "She's a lovely girl, Alan." "You'll have a wonderful family." "By the way, give my regards to your grandson." "Bob will be his name, international trade his game." "I'll see him in Jakarta, 2053." "August 14th, 10:00 a. m." "A nice, sunny day." "We'll make headlines." "Catch." "Look out." "Ripped by:" "SkyFury"