ROBBIE
SIDES FOR: ROBBIE
ROBBIE – younger brother of Will, 5-6 years, Caucasian. Fun loving kid. Must be a strong swimmer. Scenes in a boat , on the ocean. Gets left behind in the orphanage when the kids go on the big treasure hunt. EXT. OPEN WATERS. DAY A dingy cuts through gentle waves. WILL, a tawny, weathered pre-adolescent, mans the tiller like an old pro. He has a rod in a holder beside him, and a stringer of fish at his feet. A wide eyed, button-cute five year old, ROBBIE, sits in the middle of the boat holding a rod and reel. WILL You got any bait on it? (Beat) WILL (CONT’D) Robbie! ROBBIE I don’t wanna kill my minnow. WILL You can’t catch anything without bait. ROBBIE I could catch a whale if it swam by and ran into my hook. WILL You’re okay hooking a whale but not a minnow? ROBBIE Minnows are little. WILL What if it was a baby whale? Robbie considers but doesn’t respond. Robbie’s line goes taut and his rod bends double before flying out of his grip. He’s jerked almost over the side. Will lunges and grabs the back of Robbie’s shirt. They watch as a large, dark shape of a shark passes a couple feet under their boat, the rod trailing ten feet behind it. WILL (CONT’D) Dang, Robbie. You hooked a tiger. ROBBIE A real tiger? WILL A tiger shark. (beat) And you lost dad’s rod. Will shoves Robbie down on the middle bench. WILL (CONT’D) 1|P ag e
SIDES FOR: ROBBIE
Just sit there till we find him. Robbie’s eyes silently fill with tears. ROBBIE I want mama. Will looks exasperated, then softens. WILL Come sit back here with me. Robbie obeys. Will puts an arm around him. WILL (CONT’D) The Flint boys are gonna be just fine. We don’t need nobody but us and pa.
LATER The boys are on deck with their dad. Pax and Griff lean over the side of the boat, smoking. WILL We was fine! I know how to drive a boat. JACK I told you one thing. What was it. Will crosses his arms. ROBBIE I know what it is. Jack stares Will down hard. Will drops his eyes. WILL Stay home and take care of Robbie till you got back. JACK Well I’m glad to know I raised a boy can hear even if he can’t obey. WILL Well I had to decide which part to obey! JACK Which part? WILL The stay home part, or the take care of Robbie part. He was having one of his bad days. He needed to see you. Jack sighs. Turns to Robbie. Picks him up. JACK What’s wrong, tiger? ROBBIE Will made bad oatmeal. JACK You gotta eat your oatmeal. Pax here eats his oatmeal. Look how strong he is. Pax blows a long stream of smoke through his nostrils. 2|P ag e
SIDES FOR: ROBBIE
PAX Like a fire breathing dragon. Robbie doesn’t know what to make of Pax. Turns to Jack. ROBBIE Will made it wrong. Robbie buries his head in his dad’s neck. Starts bawling. Jack pats his son’s head, and looks out to sea with a visible sadness. JACK She did make about the most perfect oatmeal you could imagine, didn’t she. Robbie draws a spasmed breath. JACK (CONT’D) Yep. I reckon your mama was the best oatmeal maker this world has ever seen. You can’t expect anyone else to be able to make oatmeal like that. (wipes Robbie’s tears) But it’s something we can remember, right? Her up before the rest of us, whistling in the kitchen. And when we came down, there it was, breakfast all ready for us with a smile and a kiss from the world’s prettiest woman. PAX (sotto griff) I suspect inferior oatmeal is about to be the least of that brat’s problems. Will overhears and looks at Pax strangely. Pax sees him, flicks his cigarette butt overboard.
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ROBBIE – younger brother of Will, 5-6 years, Caucasian. Fun loving kid. Must be a strong swimmer. Scenes in a boat , on the ocean. Gets left behind in the orphanage when the kids go on the big treasure hunt. EXT. OPEN WATERS. DAY A dingy cuts through gentle waves. WILL, a tawny, weathered pre-adolescent, mans the tiller like an old pro. He has a rod in a holder beside him, and a stringer of fish at his feet. A wide eyed, button-cute five year old, ROBBIE, sits in the middle of the boat holding a rod and reel. WILL You got any bait on it? (Beat) WILL (CONT’D) Robbie! ROBBIE I don’t wanna kill my minnow. WILL You can’t catch anything without bait. ROBBIE I could catch a whale if it swam by and ran into my hook. WILL You’re okay hooking a whale but not a minnow? ROBBIE Minnows are little. WILL What if it was a baby whale? Robbie considers but doesn’t respond. Robbie’s line goes taut and his rod bends double before flying out of his grip. He’s jerked almost over the side. Will lunges and grabs the back of Robbie’s shirt. They watch as a large, dark shape of a shark passes a couple feet under their boat, the rod trailing ten feet behind it. WILL (CONT’D) Dang, Robbie. You hooked a tiger. ROBBIE A real tiger? WILL A tiger shark. (beat) And you lost dad’s rod. Will shoves Robbie down on the middle bench. WILL (CONT’D) 1|P ag e
SIDES FOR: ROBBIE
Just sit there till we find him. Robbie’s eyes silently fill with tears. ROBBIE I want mama. Will looks exasperated, then softens. WILL Come sit back here with me. Robbie obeys. Will puts an arm around him. WILL (CONT’D) The Flint boys are gonna be just fine. We don’t need nobody but us and pa.
LATER The boys are on deck with their dad. Pax and Griff lean over the side of the boat, smoking. WILL We was fine! I know how to drive a boat. JACK I told you one thing. What was it. Will crosses his arms. ROBBIE I know what it is. Jack stares Will down hard. Will drops his eyes. WILL Stay home and take care of Robbie till you got back. JACK Well I’m glad to know I raised a boy can hear even if he can’t obey. WILL Well I had to decide which part to obey! JACK Which part? WILL The stay home part, or the take care of Robbie part. He was having one of his bad days. He needed to see you. Jack sighs. Turns to Robbie. Picks him up. JACK What’s wrong, tiger? ROBBIE Will made bad oatmeal. JACK You gotta eat your oatmeal. Pax here eats his oatmeal. Look how strong he is. Pax blows a long stream of smoke through his nostrils. 2|P ag e
SIDES FOR: ROBBIE
PAX Like a fire breathing dragon. Robbie doesn’t know what to make of Pax. Turns to Jack. ROBBIE Will made it wrong. Robbie buries his head in his dad’s neck. Starts bawling. Jack pats his son’s head, and looks out to sea with a visible sadness. JACK She did make about the most perfect oatmeal you could imagine, didn’t she. Robbie draws a spasmed breath. JACK (CONT’D) Yep. I reckon your mama was the best oatmeal maker this world has ever seen. You can’t expect anyone else to be able to make oatmeal like that. (wipes Robbie’s tears) But it’s something we can remember, right? Her up before the rest of us, whistling in the kitchen. And when we came down, there it was, breakfast all ready for us with a smile and a kiss from the world’s prettiest woman. PAX (sotto griff) I suspect inferior oatmeal is about to be the least of that brat’s problems. Will overhears and looks at Pax strangely. Pax sees him, flicks his cigarette butt overboard.
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