place. His escape was made good} he had beaten the odds, the trackers, the dogs. He would never fbr— get the kind pilot who had risked his license to bring him safely to hbntreal.

The whiskey celebration had been good: too good. He

URN T0 HEZL

David I rshad

hey were merciless. The burly sets of forearms flased their vice-like

;ps and he collapsed to They departed,

ind them, the boom was not habituated to it .flgd’in his battered head ‘ and therefore over drank. e a bass drum. He laid The rest was a hazy series

9 down in a sobbing heap; bruises and welts were 'nning to take shape, pain unbearable. He zdn't fully comprehend events which had taken

of beatings and finally the return to hell.

He opened his eyes, still sprawled on the floor, had he been sleeping? uncon- scious? a moment? a day? He slowly raised his heaaL it ached and pulsated. He instantly verified his surroundings, the all-too familiar cell which he'd

Ik as soon as this question registers. N: (barely perceptibie) Yes.

SE-UP ON BILL

last thing he's wanted to do was say something

ng again but apparently he'd done it. For lack of thing else to say, he says: Well, how do you like here so far?

n continues to study the ground. Bill realizes. at this is a pretty stupid thing to say and he

s himself on the head with the palm of his nd. But he's got himself together now; he's ing to straighten this out.

LL : If you didn't catch it, John, my name's

ll. (He holds out his hand. John, although

'5 still looking at the ground, sees it out of mer of his eye.” He raises his eyes to look at H, once again, and he takes his hand. The look pain that's always in his eyes is gone, some- at, for the moment at least, which makes things sier for Bill.

LL: 0.K. John. Listen, I've been around here rquite a while, and you're just new, so if ere's anything I can help you out with, you just tme know. Gimme that scribbler for a sec and

H write my number 0n it.v (He takes a

fibbler out of pile of books John is carrying. is about to start writing on it when he stops dlooks at John.)

Lt Hey, you don't mind if I write on this cover, you? '

hn pauses, because this fellow has managed to Wrise him again. Then he shakes his head. No, doesn't mind. ‘

mt SHOT or BILL AND JOHN

H is down on one knee, balancing the scribbler his other knee. John is looking down at him.

H begins to write out the number, saying each her out loud as he does so. Then Bill's up on, 5 feet, handing the scribbler back to John.

0SE-UP 0N BILL

LL: BY the way, yOu can call me up for anything CePt schoolwork. Believe me, you're better off

“'5 smile couldn't stay away for long, and it's ck now, as big as is possible for a smile to be.

SE-UP 0N JOHN . - _ n nod5 htSehead, and we see'that even he IS

THE UPEI SUN,Thursday,Nov.§9,1978,paee 11

been habitating fbr the past four years. A large fault lay in the wall beginning at the floor and meandering up the wall where it split in two, one side of the fork ending at the windbw, the other ' at the ceiling. The excretion bucket lay in one corner awaiting to be filled, awaiting to further sicken him with its repugnant odour. He hacionce flung the contents out into the corridor and almost died for it. He again closed his eyes and returned his head to the floor. He thought he could faintly hear the barking hounds; a smile Spread across his face as he remembered what-he had done to the lead hound, the lone sniffer. He could visualize it lying on its side blinking

stupidly at the gash he had inflicted in its stomach, the intes tines protruding from the aperture like an over—inflated inner tube sticking our of a slashed tire; a small piece of

the establishment destroyeaL more destruction would come.

The warmth of the sun's rays filtering through the mesh—wire window was soothing. He slowly eased himself to his feet and followed the beam to the ‘ window. The brief taste of freedom had been ecstasy, like honey-orange after

I years of salt water. Soon the push-ups would begin; the battle with time, his sanity being the stakes.

But he was the rock and the rock would prevail.

He studied the fault in the wall and traced the crack which made the exit out

the window. He was the rock and the rock would prevail.

smiling slightly. CUT BACK TO BILL

BILL: Look, I've gotta get into the school and get tbis stuff off before they lock it up. (He starts

to jog away towards the school. As he does, though, he's turned half-way round and he's waving to John

as he goes). See you tomorrow in class! (Then he stops all of a sudden, and turns all the way around to face John, who is still looking at him) Unless, like I said, you want to call me up tonight to

talk or something. (Then he waves again and runs off towards the school.)

PROFILE CLOSE-UP 0N JOHN

He dOesn't know quite what to think. He turns around and starts heading in the direction he was originally going. The he stops. He turns around and looks

into the distance at Bill.

CUT TO LONGSHOT OF BILL

He's still running across the fields, and in the late autumn afternoon that this day is, he's running towards the falling sun.

CLOSE-UP 0N BILL

His face looks a little puzzled. He's not accustomed to being puzzled about things. He stops running and turns around to take another look at what is- puzzling him. He sees that John is looking at him.

CUT TO LONGSHOT OF JOHN

There is a pause. Then, Bill sees John, in the distance, slowly raise his open hand up, and hold it there“

CUT TO CLOSE UP OF BILL

A smile breaks open his face again. He raises up his hand in a reciprocal wave. Then he turns around, the smile still on his faCe, and begins to walk the rest of the short distance to the school. Looking at the ground as he walks along, he shakes his head in amused surprise.

FADE OUT. ~