"THE REFLECTING SKIN"
Look at this wonderful frog!
Where'd you get it?
Down by the river. It was sitting on a log.
Look at how big it is!
- It looks like a king. - Let's go sit down.
- It must be heavy! - Yeah.
- Has she been by yet? - No.
- Look at its skin... - Yeah.
She'll be coming any minute now! Hurry!
It's my turn to blow.
- Is not! - Is too!
- Is not! - Shut up!
Who's got the reed?
Well, what can I do?
You can hold the frog.
I don't want to watch! I watched last time.
Shut up, Eben!
Watching is nothing!
Eben, just watch!
- Quick! She's coming! - Come on, come on!
Don't drop it!
Quick, quick!
All right, let's go! Come on!
- Ma says it's wicked. - What?
- Exploding frogs. - Why?
She says it's a sin to kill things.
It's just a frog.
Still says it's wrong, bad to make it dead.
My Ma's dead. She's in Heaven.
No she's not, she's in a coffin.
Not true! She's in Heaven! She's an angel.
- What's an angel? - A baby with wings.
Every time you make your mom cry, you kill an angel.
I make my Ma cry all the time. Sometimes I just look at her and she cries.
Someone who doesn't blink, they go to Heaven and become an angel.
That's not so, Eben.
Your Ma is in a coffin, being eaten by worms!
Not so!
- You gonna cry, Eben? - No.
Why are your eyes wet then?
Eben's crying! Eben's crying! Eben's crying! Eben's crying!
Scrub all day and I can still smell it...
Gasoline and grease!
Your breath stinks of it.
Your skin stinks of it.
I go to bed, the sheets stink of it.
The neighbours call, not that they do call, and I see them sniffing.
Sniffing!
I spend all day bleaching the smell away, then you come home and I have to start all over again.
There's not enough bleach to burn the stench of you away, Luke Dove.
Your spit tastes of it, do you know that?
You're a walking time bomb, Luke Dove!
One day you'll sit in the sun, and go up! BANG!
You'll be--what's the word? Incinerated!
Things'll have to change when Cameron gets home.
You hear me?
He won't want to wake up to gasoline and grease.
Not Cameron. He's been used to the pretty islands.
Pretty sea, pretty sand...
Everything pretty.
There's coconuts on the pretty islands, not a car in sight...
Just canoes.
Not like this dump!
He sweats gasoline, that man! It oozes from him!
Things'll be different when Cameron gets back.
Things will change.
- I miss Cameron. - I know, I know.
I miss him too.
- You thirsty, son? - No.
You should drink.
You'll turn to dust.
- A man's gotta drink. - You thirsty, Pa?
I guess.
You want some water?
That'll go down real nice, son.
What you reading there, Pa?
A book.
There you go.
What's it about, Pa?
- Vampires, son. - What's vampires?
They're not very nice.
They bite your neck, and drink your blood. Stuff like that.
- Not very sociable. - What do they do that for, Pa?
Because if they don't, they get old.
They do it to stay young.
Then the people whose blood they drunk, well, they get old...
...and then they die.
And during the day, they sleep in a coffin... and at night they turn into a bat.
If they feel so inclined.
Any vampires around these parts, Pa?
I wouldn't be at all surprised.
You ever seen a vampire, Pa?
No, I haven't, son.
But then again, I ain't been looking.
See to it Seth, would ya?
My vampire's in convulsions.
Fill 'er up.
Please.
What's your name?
- Seth. - Seth what?
Seth Dove.
- How old are you, Seth Dove? - Nearly nine.
Is that your father up there?
Yeah.
He looks like a scarecrow.
- Are you a scarecrow, son? - No.
I was hoping you weren't.
We'll be seeing you. Would you like that?
Yeah.
Be good now, Seth Dove.
Seth!
- You've been exploding frogs again! - No.
- I heard different. - She lied!
- Who lied? - The English lady!
I can see through you, into the garage beyond. You go 'round there and say you're sorry!
- But Ma... - Get!
Now!
Come in. I won't bite.
Sit down.
Frogs... who cares?
It's my dress I was worried about.
We did far worse when I was a child, goodness yes.
We used to tie fireworks to cats' tails and set them on fire.
Ever do that?
Oh, you should do it.
Boy, do they move!
Pssssh, straight down the street.
Asses burnt to a cinder.
I remember once...
...we put my mom's canary in the oven. It went Pop!
Exploded.
Just like that frog, come to think of it.
My husband's family used to be into whaling...
...before they became farmers.
You like it?
Take it.
Go on.
Who is that?
That's my husband.
His name was Adam.
I met him in London.
I married him and came here.
We were happy for one week.
One day, I went into the barn...
And there he was. His face was bright red...
...tongue blue, eyes going Pop.
He'd hung himself, you see.
He was... very beautiful.
His eyes were...
...his hair...
...his skin.
Oh, his skin...
He used to hold me in his arms and sing to me.
d You are my sunshine...
d My only sunshine...
d You make me happy...
d When skies are gray...
Well, now there's no sunshine in my life.
I hate sunshine.
Sometimes, terrible things happen quite naturally.
You look different.
Oh, well... yes.
He made me younger, I suppose.
Without him, I get older by the minute.
Bits of me fall off.
I get up in the morning and half of me stays in bed.
I can't bring myself to look in mirrors anymore.
Tell me, how old do you think I am?
Fifty.
Fifty?
Well, what a compliment.
No, I'm older than that.
I'm 200 years old.
Can't you see all my wrinkles and gray hairs?
- Look! - Yeah.
You can?
Come and sit next to me.
Come on.
Do you know what that is?
No.
It's one of my Adam's teeth.
This. Do you know what this is?
- Hair. - That's right, my husband's hair.
These are his reading glasses.
This is his comb.
You see?
It's all that's left of him now. Just a box of bits and pieces.
You fall in love, and almost at once that loved one dies, and you're left with nothing.
Nothing at all.
Just a few memories, and a house where he was a boy.
Nothing but dreams, and decay... and a box...
...a box from his childhood. A childhood you weren't even part of.
Bay Rum.
Oh, this...
This is the smell of him.
Oh... it's him...
It's him...
It's the smell of him...
The smell of him...
Oh, my darling. My darling.
Smell my dead love...
A vampire!
She's a vampire!
There!
You're awake.
A little...
Well, it's time you were asleep.
No, Ma.
What is it now?
Nothing.
- Just grow up and go to sleep. - But...
- You want the water? - No.
Then the light goes out.
Water.
Every last drop!
- You're not finished yet, my boy. - I'm gonna burst, I gotta go...
Not until you're finished. Every last drop!
Go on, drink!
I'll be sick...
Then you'll just have to be sick. Keep on drinking!
I can't Ma, really...
- Go on, you haven't finished! - Mama...
Drink it! Drink it!
You're gonna drink until your stomach is fit to burst.
You're gonna drink it all, Seth Dove.
Even if it takes all night, you're gonna drink it all.
I can smell your father.
The Lord's taken him 'cause I'm a sinner.
Just like he took my Rachel.
Taken who, Joshua?
I am a sinner!
I drink.
I have bad thoughts.
Does somebody mind tellin' me what's going on?
- Eben is missing. - We need the Sheriff.
I keep telling him we should call Sheriff Ticker.
No need for Sheriff Ticker just yet, Joshua.
That's what I said.
We're not sure if anything's happened yet.
Of course we're not.
When'd you last see Eben, son?
This morning.
Where'd you leave him?
Did the Lord take him, boy?
Did the angels come down and pluck him from the weak?
Did the Lord say... his Pa is a sinner and not meant to be happy?
No...
- Where was he going to, boy? - I gotta go... ah!
She's a vampire, and she drinks blood to make her young.
She's afraid to look into mirrors because her reflection is gone.
And she hates sunlight.
She keeps her husband in a black box and his sweat in a bottle.
- How do you know? - She told me to my face.
She's 200 years old.
You think she killed Eben?
Could be.
But why?
For his blood, stupid.
His blood?
Sure. If she don't get blood, then she starts to fall apart.
She said: "I get up in the morning and there's my skin in bed."
Come on.
- What ya doing? - Just come on!
Help me.
- What ya lookin' for? - Her coffin.
- Her coffin? - It's here somewhere.
She sleeps in it.
Let's go to her bedroom, then.
- Should we? - Quick!
Okay, come on!
Kim, look at this wonderful shell!
Look how big it is!
Yeah, look at it...
- I know! Let's smash it! - Yeah!
- Break everything! Smash everything! - Yeah!
Break it! Break it!
Break it!
Rip it! Rip it!
Break it! Tear it!
Rip everything! Smash everything!
Rip it! Tear it!
Break it! Smash it! Yeah, break everything!
- She's back! - Shhh!
Hey Pa.
- You thirsty, son? - No.
- You been running? - A little.
You'll turn to dust, a man's gotta drink.
You thirsty, Pa?
A little, son.
Eben?
Now, let's go over this again, shall we?
How many times can he answer the same questions?
He's told you all he knows.
I think I should be the judge of that, don't you M'am?
Unless of course, there's a reason why you don't want me to ask questions.
Reason? What do you mean? Why should I have a reason?
Had ol' Sheriff Ticker on the phone.
Sheriff Ticker?
You know Sheriff Ticker?
Well... yeah. Yes, I know him.
He certainly seems to know your husband.
Knows him real well.
Has quite a lot to say about him, does Sheriff Ticker.
Go upstairs, Seth.
- But Ma! - Do as you're told! Go!
What has Sheriff Ticker told you?
You know full well what he's told me.
That was years ago, for the love of God.
You're gonna drag it up all over again?
Might be it needs draggin' up.
Shut up!
You'll only make it worse!
He even cries like a woman.
Don't you call my husband...
In full embrace, the Sheriff said.
In the barn...
...kissing the boy.
He wasn't a boy! He was 17. It was years ago, and he was--
Sheriff Ticker says he felt sick. Two men, kissing!
Is that why you married him so quick? Protect his good name?
Why don't you ask the Sheriff? He seems to know everything else.
Oh, he does. He does know. Everything.
And what he doesn't know, he suspects.
This time you won't get away with it!
No...
I wouldn't hurt... I couldn't...
I'd arrest you this very minute if I could.
Arrest him for what? He hasn't done anything!
Well now, we can't be sure of that, can we?
Sheriff Ticker says it's a short leap from kissing to killing.
Bye now. Enjoy your supper.
Shut up.
Shut up, damn it!
Shut up!
Oh my God, shut up!
All that gossip! I can't go through it again!
You hear me? I can't go through it again!
I won't!
I won't...
I won't go through it again.
Not for you...
Not for you.
You come back here, Luke Dove!
Pa!
Son?
Coward!
I missed you!
- You look older. - You look old.
- I do, eh? - Lots.
You should have seen him, Cam. He exploded!
He went BANG! His skin went all funny.
Don't think about it, okay?
I dream it.
God, it's ugly here.
What are you wearing that for?!
- It's for you! - I don't want it.
Aren't you a hero?
No.
Geez...
- This place get smaller? - No.
- It still smells like gasoline. - I can't smell it.
That's 'cause you smell like it too.
Where'd this come from?
Nowhere.
Come on!
- You hungry, Cam? - No.
You miss them, Cam?
- Miss what? - The pretty islands.
Could be.
You goin' back?
Nah, I suppose I'm staying.
Not for good?
- Maybe I have to. - Why have to?
To look after you, knucklehead.
I don't need lookin' after.
Oh? I guess you want me to go...
Hi Ma.
What, Ma? What do you want?
Out of the way! Out of the way! Mind yourself.
It's all right! Jesus!
Gotta get the place clean. Your Pa will be home soon.
Pa's dead!
He's dead and buried, mom.
He was always readin'...
...nothing but them cheap poems.
Never said a word to me when I was a kid.
Just sat there, and got old.
Couldn't stand the sight of blood.
That's why it was always mom killing the chickens.
Here.
You never stood a chance.
You should've died years ago.
Before she drained ya.
He wanted to be a beekeeper, you know that?
It was her idea to start the garage.
Whiskers keep growing, when you're dead.
Everything else stops.
But hair just keeps on sprouting.
Hair never dies.
Just goes on and on.
Heard you were back, Cameron.
Circumstances, Sheriff.
I've been a Sheriff for over 30 years.
And I never seen so many circumstances.
People stop me and say: "Sheriff Ticker, what's happening?"
And I have to say... I don't rightly know.
But it all starts with a kiss, that's for sure.
Your Pa'll tell ya.
I want a word with little Seth here. That okay with you?
Sure.
Turtle. Snapper, it was.
Big as a pig, and vicious as hell.
It got my hand.
Can you beat that?
A few years later, a dog.
Almost chewed off my ear.
Then a wasp stung out my eye.
Thirty years a Sheriff, and all I've had to contend with are vicious animals.
But now, we got a new kind of animal.
One I ain't seen before.
The kind of animal that...
...does things to children.
Makes my hungry fish seem like an angel of mercy.
The only trouble is...
...I ain't sure if the monster's still out there somewhere...
...or six feet under.
Perhaps your father took secrets with him, into that grave of his.
Your Pa. Did, uh...
- ...did he ever... uh, touch ya? - Yeah.
Where'd he touch ya, boy?
In the kitchen.
No, no, no. I don't mean that.
Did he ever touch ya in... um, places?
Places outside the kitchen?
No no no, uh, places. On your person.
Like where?
Like private places, boy.
Private places?
Yeah.
Like... here, boy?
No, he didn't do much touching.
You go on back to your brother.
You tell him to take care of you.
You'll be safe with him.
I'm sorry about your father.
I saw the light of the burning from my window.
I wondered what it was.
It looked quite beautiful.
I'll bet it did.
That was a stupid thing to say.
I'm sorry, Cameron.
Would you say that again?
My name.
Cameron.
Sounds good.
You know, your accent makes everything sound better somehow.
Well...
What about your name? Let me hear you say your name.
Dolphin Blue.
What happened to the angel?
Time.
Even angels lose their wings eventually.
- Cam! - Ah, there he is.
My little demolition man.
- Your what? - Seth knows what I mean.
Come on, Cam!
Get outta here. Go home and wait for me.
- Get out of here! - Cam! Don't talk to her!
Beat it!
I'm gonna kill you.
My Ma says your Pa was a pervert.
What's a pervert?
Someone who likes children.
I don't think my Pa was a pervert then.
Nah, neither is mine.
- My brother's back. - I know, Ma told me.
He met Her today.
- The vampire? - Yeah.
- Did she bite his neck? - I don't know.
- Do you think she wants to? - Yeah, I guess so.
- What you gonna do about it? - I don't know, I've gotta do something.
- Do you love your brother? - Yeah.
- More than anything else in the world? - More than anything else in the world!
- What's that smell? - I don't know.
Hey, Kim, look! I think I found something.
It looks like an egg.
It smells like fish.
- You know what I think? - What?
I think we've found ourselves an angel.
An angel?
- Sure. And you know what? - What?
I think it could be Eben.
Eben? Why is Eben an angel?
Because I told my mom I missed Cameron, and made her cry.
That's why Eben's an angel.
- Who says? - It's just so, Kim.
Geez, it sure looks like Eben.
But if Eben's an angel, why ain't he in Heaven?
Because he was murdered.
Murdered angels don't go to Heaven.
They get their wings torn out and are thrown back to Earth again.
- Who says? - It's just so, Kim!
There, you see? That's where his wings were.
Poor Eben.
- Where are you going? - Home.
- You can't have the angel! - Why not?
It belongs to me! He was my friend!
- He was my friend too! - He liked me more!
- You made him cry! - So did you! I want to keep it!
- I found it! - I saw it first!
- I unwrapped it! - I started it!
- I walked this way! - I--
I keep the angel.
What are we going to do, Eben?
She's met him now. My brother.
She's gonna kill him. She's going to suck his blood and kill him.
Just like she killed you.
What?
She did what?
Bit your neck? I know, Eben. I know.
That's what vampires are like, I know.
But I'm watching her, don't worry.
- I'm watching everything. Everything. - Seth!
You here?
You be quiet now.
I'll be back, Eben.
Hi.
What'd the Sheriff want?
Nothing.
Long while about nothin'.
- You okay? - I suppose.
Hey, I'm sorry I pushed you, okay?
It's just, you know, sometimes you...
...well, you're not wanted.
You wanna see something?
What do you make of that?
What is it?
- It's a baby. - What happened to him?
- Well, he lived in a place in Japan.
His skin got all...
...silver...
...shiny, just like a mirror.
- You could see your face in it. - Why?
Just could.
Did it hurt?
Yeah, I guess.
Is he alive?
Mm-hmm.
Do you know him?
No, it's just a photograph.
- Who's holding him? - I don't know.
Did he have any brothers, like you're my brother?
I don't know. I don't know him, Seth.
It's just a picture.
What's his name?
I don't know him, I don't know his name!
It's just a photograph, okay?
But he must have had a name.
Yeah, he must have had a shoe size too, but I don't know that either!
It's just a picture of a baby!
You like 'em?
You can have 'em.
And before you ask, I don't know her or them either.
Seth, I'm going out for a while.
Where are you going?
I'm going up to Dolphin's house.
Jesus.
[muffled voices]
The war in London.
All that noise and fire.
People huddled together.
Laughter and cuddles.
You like those bombs, don't you?
Oh, I love them.
All that noise...
Explosions...
I've seen the big ones, you know.
Lots of them.
The biggest ones there are.
- Where? - In the Pacific.
That's where I've been.
"The Pretty Islands", that's what my mom calls them.
What have you been doing there?
Blowing 'em up.
Whole islands?
Well, yeah.
Whole islands.
Is it dangerous?
Not really.
We only watch from a distance.
And we gotta wear sunglasses.
Man, it was brilliant.
I mean, bright like you've never seen.
Like a million Fourth of July's, all rolled into one.
You know, the natives paddled out in their canoes.
And they were singing.
d "You are my sunshine..."
d "...my only sunshine..."
And there'd be this stuff...
...like, um...
...silver snow.
Falling on the ship.
We'd roll it up and we'd have snowball fights with it, you know?
And after each blast, there'd be these fish...
A sea full of boiled fish.
You could pick 'em up and eat 'em, if you wanted to.
The sunset's amazing.
The sunset's...
Pink, bright pink.
Pink like you've never seen.
God...
Cameron.
Cameron, look at me.
Kim!
Hey! Come here!
- Come here, you little... - Yeah!
- Ahh! No! Help! No!
His hair?
It's his hair.
Look, it's happening! She's killing him!
Look!
Soon Cameron will end up in a black box!
Just like her dead husband!
Bits of hair, teeth...
His sweat in a bottle.
What am I gonna do, Eben? What?
I've got to tell him, Eben.
Otherwise, she'll kill him!
Murderer!
Wake up, Cam! Wake up! Wake up!
Come out!
- Jesus Christ... - Murderer!
Murderer!
Wait a minute, Josh! What's the matter with you?!
Goddamn it!
I wanna see him.
- See who?! - The killer!
There's no killer here!
You bring him. He's a coward!
- What's he talkin' about? - Pa, I guess.
My Pa is dead, Josh.
He's not dead!
What are you talking about?
She's hiding him!
Bullshit! You can't hide a corpse, Josh.
Come on, you've been drinking. Gimme that.
I want you to go home.
Ain't no home, Cameron.
People all gone. God took them 'cause of my wicked thoughts.
No, no. You don't have wicked thoughts.
You just got some bad luck.
Oh, you don't know...
...my thoughts.
Jesus, they're bad.
I dreamt... I dreamt that I was sleeping with my goat!
And I liked it!
Well, you could do worse.
Come on, get Ma inside. Go on.
Where is he, Ruth?
- Bring him to me! - Punch him, Cam!
Shut up!
- You can do it! - He's just drunk.
- What's it like, boy? - What's what like?
To know your Pa is a killer.
My Pa is no killer.
Come on, he's dead!
Snap out of it.
- He took my Eben. - No, he didn't.
They all say that, Cam.
- And you believe 'em? - I don't know...
- Was Pa a pervert? - What?
What do you mean?
Ruth! Where is he?!
- I will get him! I want to tear out his eyes! - Ahh!
Get off! No!
Get the door, Ma.
What are you afraid of?
Go on, see who it is.
May I see him?
Please?
- Cameron. - Hi.
Come in.
- You all right? - Oh yeah.
- It's nothin'. - Oh, God...
It's nothin'.
- Shall I do that? - No!
No, I can.
I... they said it was... I mean, I thought...
No, it was just Joshua, you know.
It's nothing.
You look...
You look beautiful.
Ow! That hurt.
I really missed you.
What?
Him!
- Him! - No, Cassie!
Ask him!
Seth!
Have you seen Kim?
No.
- He's lying! - You lying?
Of course he is! I can tell.
You ain't got no kids. You don't know their ways.
- Tell me the truth, son! - I am!
Monster!
He's hiding my Kim!
- You hiding him, boy? - No!
You know what you're full of, Seth Dove?
Sin!
Ain't that right?
- I don't know, M'am. - Well, I'm telling you boy.
You're full of sin!
Say it! Sin!
Say it! Sin! Sin!
- Sin? - Louder!
- Sin! - Again!
- Sin! Sin!
Look at him! He's enjoying it! Can't you see he's enjoying it?
- He's a monster! - No, Cassie!
What's killing all the children?
What's killing the children?
- There'll be every cop in the state on the job, and you know what I think? - No...
I think your Pa is still out there, drippin' gasoline and killin' children.
And you wanna know what else I think?
I think you've got secrets locked up in here...
...and it's my job to get 'em out...
...even if I have to crack you open like a peanut, you understand me?
- Yeah. - Well, I hope you do.
'Cause whatever you got up there, I'm gonna find it out.
One way or another, I'm gonna get it out!
Look in my mouth.
Come on, look in my mouth.
- What is it? - Well, you see anything?
I taste blood.
It's your gums.
- My gums? - Yeah, they're bleeding.
I'm losing weight.
You know, I had to take my belt in two notches.
You're going bald too.
I'm going bald?
I found hair in your comb.
Does it show? Can you tell by looking at me?
No, not really.
Geez, I'm falling apart here.
Cam.
I've gotta tell you something.
- Cam. - What?
Get off my coat.
Cam, I know why you're gettin' old.
Oh yeah, why?
It's because of Her.
Who?
Dolphin!
What do you mean?
She's a vampire!
- She's a vampire? - I knew you wouldn't believe me.
She's a vampire, and she's drinking your blood!
- You don't see that, do you? - Oh yeah.
Listen!
That is why you're getting older, and she's getting younger!
- You're crazy! - It's true.
- You really believe that? - Yeah.
- You're out of your mind. - It's true, Cam!
I can't listen to this crap anymore.
- Cam! - Leave me alone!
Cam, come back!
Cam, stop!
Wait!
You gotta believe me, you can't go!
Just watch me.
You can't leave me with Ma! You said so!
Oh, shut up! She's all right.
She's better than before.
She does her cooking, her housework, keeps her mouth shut. What more do you want?
You can't go with Dolphin! She's a vampire! She'll kill you!
- I'm warning you! - Shut up!
Listen, you little bastard. I love her! You understand?
I love her, and she loves me!
And I'm going away with her, and I'm gonna be happy.
And there's not a damn thing you can do about it! You understand me?
You hear me?! Now shut up!
She's got him now, Eben.
There's nothing I can do.
She's won, and I have lost.
She's gonna kill him, Eben.
What?
Say that again?
Tell me.
Tell me...
Dolphin!
Waiting for something?
Yes, for a ride. I'm going to town.
I love him, you know?
Really.
I'll look after him. He'll be safe with me.
Poor Seth. It's all so horrible, isn't it?
The nightmare of childhood.
And it only gets worse.
One day you'll wake up, and you'll be past it.
Your beautiful skin will wrinkle...
...and shrivel up.
You'll lose your hair.
Your sight.
Your memory.
Your blood will thicken.
Teeth turn yellow...
and loose.
You'll start to stink, and fart.
And all your friends will be dead.
You'll succumb to arthritis...
...angina...
...senile dementia.
You'll piss yourself, shit yourself...
...drool at the mouth.
Just pray that when this happens, you've got someone to love you.
Because if you're loved...
...you'll still be young.
Oh, innocence can be hell.
Well, well, well. If it isn't the scarecrow's son.
You want a ride, Seth Dove?
No, not yet.
Where are you boys going?
- Where are you going? - To town.
- We goin' that way, boys? - Yeah!
- Looks like we're goin' that way. - Thanks.
It's a beautiful day, isn't it Seth Dove?
Yeah.
- What are you lookin' at? - Nothing.
Don't look like nothing.
- Why don't you go play with your friends? - They're all dead.
What's the Sheriff's car doing down there?
Cam...
Wait, Cam!
Cam!
Please, Cam!
Cam, stop! Stop!
Cam! Come home! Cam!
Please, stop!
Cam, please!
Oh, no...
No! No!
Ahh! No!