Scene 10: The Research

(Lights cross-fade to several kids reading from their journals.)

BUCKY: I found a old photo of a school house, and Brendan said it was his school.

JENNA: My Dad said the Olson house was built on old farmland, but Brendan said it couldn't be the same land.

CLIFFORD: I went walking in the woods but couldn't find anything. Brendan was disappointed.

TINA-LOUISE: I found an old hinge that was maybe part of a barn door.

FRANKY: I found a spike.

DOOFUS: I found a rusty bucket.

DAN: I think I'm the only person who hasn't seen Brendan. I've spent a lot of time visiting my mom though, so maybe that's why. Maybe Brendan doesn't like hospitals. i know I don't.

(Lights cross-fade to Trey's bedroom. He's flipping through an old atlas. Brendan is nearby.)

TREY: Making a lot of friends I hear.

BRENDAN: Yeah. The kids are really nice around here. I'm surprised you don't get along with them.

TREY: You don't know them as well as I do.

BRENDAN: What's that book?

TREY: An atlas of wisconsin. It's a 100 years old. I got it at the library. I thought it might help you.

BRENDAN: Yeah?

TREY: Maybe. Here's the Deerpoint section.

BRENDAN: Look up Whitestone Farm. It's down the from Dunbar Farm.

(Cross fade Arno's computer. Vincent and Edythe, sit on either side of him.)

VINCENT: Type in Deerpoint public Library archives.

ARNO: Okay.

EDYTHE: Oh-look-the-Deerpoint-Gazette. Go-there.

VINCENT: They have back issues online. Search headlines.

EDYTHE: Type-in-whitestone-farm!

ARNO:(Typing) Alright. Whitestone... Farm.

VINCENT: Now hit search.

EDYTHE: I-love-computers.

ARNO: It's doing something.

(Back to Trey and Brendan with atlas.)

TREY: Your dad's a farmer?

BRENDAN: Yeah. A Dairy farmer. He gets up before the sun. I get up a little bit after and go to help him. My mom brings us our lunch. I don't see her again until we come in for dinner. See anything yet?

TREY: No, The print's so little.

BRENDAN: And then we go straight to bed. My Dad's getting old and he needs help with the cows and the crops, So I try to help him as much as I can. But he doesn't talk to me much. Does you dad talk to you?

TREY: He lives in California.

BRENDAN: How come?

TREY: My parents are divorced.

(Back to Computer)

VINCENT: Two items. "Whitestone Farm Foreclosure" or Davisson boy disappears."

EDYTHE: Hit-the-disappearing-boy.

ARNO: "Febuary third, 1891."

EDYTHE: Old.

ARNO: "Among the many unsolved myseries of Deerpoint, Wisconsin involves the fifteen-year-old son of Jack and Bethany Davisson."

VINCENT: "The boy went into the woods in the middle of a blizzard to find his lttile brother, not aware that Caleb was playing in the family attic."

EDYHTE: "It-was-the-biggest-blizzard-in-the-history-of-the-town-and-the-teenager-disappeared-without-a-trace. His name was Brendan."

(Back to Trey and Brendan)

BRENDAN: What's divorced mean?

TREY: It means they don't like each other anymore.

BRENDAN: Oh. Why isn't you mom here then?

TREY: She works 2 jobs. She answers phones at the hospital during the day. And three nights a week she teaches a ceramics class.

BRENDAN: So you're alone most of the time?

TREY: Not since you showed up.

BRENDAN: Oh yeah.

TREY: (Nose in the atlas:) Oh here's something! Whitestone Road! It crosses Orchard Street. There's still an Orchard Street. They must've renamed whitestone road! Is this your farm here? This patch of green?

BRENDAN: Yes.

TREY: Well I know where Orchard street is. We can go find it.

BRENDAN: I already did.

TREY: What?

(Back to Computer.)

VINCENT: Hey look at the bottom. There's a osting to the librarian.

ARNO: "Did they ever find him?" signed TreyPatt .

EDYTHE: What'd-the-librarian-say?

ARNO: "We have no other articles about the lost boy."

VINCENT: It's dated last week, before the blizzard even hit.

EDYTHE: Weird.

ARNO: I think Trey stole this story.

VINCENT: What?

ARNO: He saw this and then made Brendan up.

EDYTHE: But-Vincent-said-he-saw-Brendan.

VINCENT: Uhhh... Everyone said they saw him. Not just me.

ARNO: And the radio guy said he announce a search for him tonight.

EDYTHE: But-if-there-is-no-Brendan, then-why-are-we-searching?

(Back to Brendan and Trey)

BRENDAN: I found it. I recognized the hill. And I recognized a tree I used to climb. It's much bigger, but I can tell it's the same tree. And there are houses everywhere, but I know it's the same hill. Maybe they moved the farm. Can people do that? Can people move buildings?

TREY: I guess so.

BRENDAN: Well maybe that's what they did.

TREY: Maybe.

BRENDAN: What time is it?

TREY: Noon.

BRENDAN: Shoot. I gotta go.

TREY: Where?

BRENDAN: To see a couple people. I'll talk to you later though, okay?

TREY: Okay.

(Brendan turns to go.)

TREY: I'm still your favorite, right?

BRENDAN: What?

TREY: Nothing. Go hang out with your friends. I'll be here.

BRENDAN: Are you okay?

TREY: Yeah. Fine.

BRENDAN: Alright. Bye.

(Brendan exits. Trey picks up his journal and writes in it as the lights fade.)