Once, man and those in the water
were linked.
They inspired us.
They spoke of the future.
Man listened and it became real.
But man does not listen very well.
Man 's need to own everything
led him deeper into land.
The magic world of the ones
that live in the ocean...
...and the world of men...
...separated.
Through the centuries, their world,
and all the inhabitants of it...
...stopped trying.
The world of man became more violent.
War upon war played out,
as there were no guides to listen to.
Now those in the water
are trying again...
...trying to reach us.
A handful of their precious young ones
have been sent into the world of man.
They are brought in the dead of night...
...to where man lives.
They need only be glimpsed...
...and the awakening of man
will happen.
But their enemies roam the land.
There are laws that are meant
to keep the young ones safe...
...but they are sent
at great risk to their lives.
Many...
...do not return.
Yet still they try...
...try to help man.
But man may have
forgotten how to listen.
My daughter says to be careful,
Mr. Heep.
Well, it's some kind
of a b... B... B... Bug.
It's very big.
It's very hairy.
My other daughter says it's
some kind of creature the devil made.
Tell her it's not a creature.
There's no such thing as creatures,
all right?
You...
You might wanna turn away.
Sorry this is taking so long.
It's over. It's over.
It's... It's safe.
My daughter says
thank you for protecting them.
Mr. Farber?
I'm Cleveland Heep.
Welcome to the Cove.
Mr. Heep!
You are new tenant?
Yeah, this is Mr. Farber. He's in 13B.
Now, Mr. Farber, this is Young-Soon
Choi. She lives with her mother in 8A.
She's a student at the university.
Young-Soon, you don't know...
...who's been swimming in the pool
the last few nights, do you?
No, Mr. Heep.
By the way, here. Thanks. I liked it.
You're welcome.
Mr. Heep loves learning.
He doesn't want people to know.
Mr. Heep, pool man looking for you.
I tell him you come soon.
Could you wait here just a moment,
please?
Gonna ask something. Answer straight.
You guys having parties in here?
Bubble parties, bubble bath,
everyone skinny-dipping?
No.
- Those bubbles make the water very slick.
- No.
I'll trust you on that. But something
is making this water like this.
There has been someone
swimming at nighttime.
I hear sp... Sp... Sp...
Splashing some nights.
I left here yesterday afternoon,
this filter was empty.
You kind of look like maybe
you could work out a little bit, right?
I could give you a vein like that.
I could make it look just like this. Right?
Most people say,
"What's wrong with you, Reggie?
Why you only working out
on one side of your body?"
I tell them it's like an experiment.
I'm like a scientist.
This morning I measured my bicep.
Four-and-a-half-inch difference
from one side to the other.
Look at that.
Take a guess at the difference
between my thighs.
- Hello, Reggie.
- Hey.
- Hey. Sorry.
- Hey.
Me and the new guy,
we're talking science.
Okay, that's great. Here we go, Mr. F...
Here we go. Come on.
Don't hang out in the stairwell,
Reggie, please.
- Okay.
- All right.
Just... People might trip.
All right.
Reggie's harmless.
He just wants to be special.
He's working out
only one side of his body.
Did he...? Did he tell you that?
- Be inside within minutes.
Hello, Mr. Leeds.
Those soldiers are only now beginning to
wonder how long they'll end up staying.
If this does come to combat, we will not
be in the battle for the sake of the battle.
He's been here f... F... Forever.
- Will not be reached any other way.
Mrs. Bell, she takes in animals.
Smart lady. You'd like her.
- He... Not just because he died.
- There's a bunch of people better.
- Name four people better.
- Name one better than Fred.
Axl Rose. Sebastian Bach.
Bret Michaels is better than he is.
Bret Michaels.
I'd rather listen to Bon... Jon Bon Jovi.
What? Are you...?
This is you.
There's no smoking inside.
And there's no swimming after 7.
I hope it's okay to ask: What brings you
here from the West Coast, Mr. Farber?
I've been hired to be the local film
and book critic for the paper.
They flew you all the way
out here for that?
- They did.
- Well, you must be very good.
Mr. Heep, Betty Pen again.
I smell something awful
coming from the upstairs apartment.
I think someone may have died
and the body is decomposing.
I know I said this last week, but...
Not everyone here
spent Sunday practicing for war.
At Sunday church services,
chaplains rallied the troops.
For these Marines,
a moment for prayer...
...at a service that many here believe
will be their last before going to war.
U.S. Forces predicted today the enemy,
estimated at 3 to 4000...
...may be willing...
- a major... A major confrontation.
At the same time, the U.S. Military
will be fighting a propaganda war.
If there were a silver bullet,
we would've shot that a long time ago.
Hey! I saw you!
I saw you!
Come out of that pool right now!
Hey!
I'm gonna wait.
Hey.
Hey.
Come on out, now. It's...
It's... It's not safe.
Come on out. This is not f...
This is not funny.
Please sto...
God.
Did you pull me out?
Where are you from?
The Blue World.
Is that an apartment?
Do you feel an awakening?
I'm sorry?
It will feel like pins and needles...
...inside.
It is not you.
It's late.
You really...
You shouldn't be here.
I'm kind of old-fashioned that way.
I don't even know your name.
My name is Story.
I didn't mean for you to tell...
Why am I not stuttering?
What?
Hello, Story, my name is Cleveland.
"From the cliffs."
That is what your name means.
Where did you learn that?
From my studies.
I promise that I will not
get you into trouble. You can go.
I am scared.
I will wait here with you, Cleveland.
Why are you scared?
You can wait here for a little bit...
...until you feel not so scared.
Are you okay?
Oh, my God. You're just a kid.
Hello.
Okay. It's time to go. Story, come on.
Okay.
I think you need some fresh air.
I'm just gonna take you outside.
I'm gonna put you
on one of the pool chairs.
I'm gonna get you some coffee...
...and then you can wake up.
Then I'll walk you home.
Tell me, who in the world
are you, anyway?
- Narf.
- What?
Okay. Come on.
Here we go.
Okay.
It was sort of h... H... Hairy, but...
But matted, like clumps. You know?
And it was kind of g... Green.
- You say green?
- Yeah.
I thought so. Matted is... Is not right.
It was f... F... Flat, and...
And thicker than hair.
Like this. Like this.
Flat and this kind of a color.
- And... Is this not helping you at all?
- Forget about its hair for a second.
It's obviously some dumb animal
who muddied himself. About how tall?
- What, was it a Great Dane?
- No, no, no. No, sir.
I mean, are there any w... W...
Wolves in this area? Hyenas?
Jack, this is Philadelphia.
Where do you think you're living?
Sorry. Something keeps
setting off the sprinklers.
I'll look around the forest and check
behind the dumpsters and stuff.
An animal that size,
the one you're describing...
...doesn't walk around and not be seen.
There's nowhere for
a dumb big animal to hide.
Cleveland.
Hey.
Got a lot of homework, huh?
University gives many pages of reading.
What they think, I have no social life?
I got more books for you.
Could you look up
the word "narf" for me?
It's an Eastern bedtime story, Mr. Heep.
I do not remember it.
My great-grandmother
used to tell it when she was alive.
A b... B... B...
Bedtime story?
What's the story?
I do not remember.
How about your mother?
Hello, Mrs. Choi. Hello.
She wants to know
who told you this word.
Oh, j... Just a friend. I don't...
I don't... I don't know her very well.
She said that her grandmother...
...used to tell this story like a prayer.
Like it was true.
She said that she knew someone
who knew someone who saw one.
Saw one what?
A narf, the bedtime story says,
is a sea nymph.
I s... What...
What happens in the story, please?
No. Mrs...
In the bedtime story...
...she must be seen
by the one human chosen for her.
This person is called the vessel.
Seeing the narf will awaken something
in the chosen one.
If she's successful in this...
...she will return with the Great Eatlon,
a giant eagle...
...and become free.
She won't tell me more.
She said, why can't I be like
my older sister. She married a dentist.
Story?
Story?
Cleveland.
Story, could you
put something back on, please?
Are you here to meet someone,
see someone in this building?
Is somebody supposed to see you?
Is...?
L...
It is a writer.
Do you know his name?
Do you know what he looks like?
Do you know if it's a...?
A woman or a man?
Is there something
that you wanna tell me?
Is this person
writing something important?
When do you have to leave?
I can leave tonight if I meet this person.
I'm gonna help you get home.
Thank you, Cleveland.
I have to go.
Hello. L... l...
I wanted to ask you
something about your work.
Your c... C... Critic work.
How's it... How's... How's...
How's it going?
I'm seeing a romance film tonight.
Not my cup of tea.
So you... You...
You haven't written anything yet?
Haven't written anything
for some time.
You were right about that one tenant.
I spoke with Mrs. Bell.
We got along.
She's very good with animals.
You know she wrote a book?
Mr. Heep,
I will be taking the cat in directly.
Don't worry, Mrs. Bell.
Lookie here.
My, there's a lot of butterflies
around this building.
Strange behavior for them.
They're not usually so trusting.
I understand that you're a writer,
Mrs. Bell.
Now, where'd you hear such things?
Maybe I read your book.
That'd be quite a trick.
It's been out of print for 20 years.
Twenty years?
So you haven't written anything recently?
Mr. Farber has been speaking
out of turn.
Look at this cereal character's picture,
Dad.
Looks like Aunt Sylvia when she found out
everybody hated her fruit-bowl painting.
I need a nine-letter word
for "in human form."
You'll figure it out, Dad.
I...
You know, the color on this box
look just like the colors of your car, Dad.
Maybe we should take your car
and go visit Aunt Sylvia.
Incarnate.
Well, you're very good
with those word puzzles, Mr. Dury.
He's a grand-master level.
I'm gonna be just like him.
- So you like words a lot, huh?
- I adore them.
Are you... Are you writing anything,
Mr. Dury?
A book, maybe?
No, l...
I'm afraid my skills are limited
to crossword puzzles.
That's some serious reekage, man.
You don't even speak English anymore.
What, reekage? Damn straight
it's English. The state of reek.
There's no "reekage," man.
Some toker just like us made it up
somewhere, and here you are speaking it.
Let's make up a witty phrase.
It'll become famous.
It needs to be on some T-shirt
or something, you ass.
No, it doesn't. It just catches on.
People just start saying it.
Blim-blam.
What? Blim-blam?
Somebody already said that.
Gentlemen, I don't suppose...
...any of you have written
anything lately.
An essay or something?
Something important?
No essays here, my man.
Okay. Stop putting your clothes
in the garbage disposal...
...and stop smoking.
Baby's on the half-tip.
- Snap!
- Yeah.
There you go. There you go.
Mr. Heep.
She told me a little bit more of the story
before she throw cushion at me.
Young-Soon.
You're not writing anything, are you?
A p... P... P... Paper, maybe?
Writing? No, Mr. Heep.
This semester all multiple-choice
courses. Young-Soon is not stupid.
She told me about a bad guy in story.
These creatures are called scrunts.
They are meant to kill a narf
when she is out of the water.
They can lay completely flat.
Their back is covered in grass.
My great-grandmother said
that's why man never sees them.
They will appear
as a bump in the lawns.
Vick. Anna.
Mr. Heep, the light over my desk
is still not working.
I promise I'll get to it.
How's the writing?
- Slow.
- You look tired, Mr. Heep.
How long have you been writing, Vick?
Six months.
What? I should finish, right?
It just... It just sits on his desk.
My brother's scared.
He'll do anything to get out of writing.
See this? It's the third load of laundry
he's done this week.
I can fix that light now, if you want.
A cookbook.
This has gotten s... S...
Silly.
- That's not how you fold.
- Mr. Heep, tell her to stop annoying me.
I fixed the light.
I'll make you dinner, Mr. Heep.
Thank you.
You're both cooks?
Who, him? He can't cook.
He's banned from the kitchen.
Wait a minute,
I don't understand something.
I'm sorry. My... My ladder...
...accidentally bumped into your desk.
I ended up seeing the title
of what it is you're writing.
It said The Cookbook.
I know, it's a bad title, right?
It's actually, you know, just my thoughts
on all our cultural problems...
...and thoughts on leaders and stuff.
I don't know who's gonna
wanna publish the thing.
That is not how you fold.
Your thoughts are very sad.
Most are of one night.
A night a man entered your home
when you were not there.
He stole many things
and killed your wife and children.
That is when you stopped being happy.
You were a doctor.
I am very sorry for you.
You believe you have no purpose.
You help all that live here.
Anybody can do this job, Story.
You have a purpose.
All beings have a purpose.
I know who you are.
And I think that I've found your vessel.
You know what I'm talking about, right?
He's outside.
Do you need to see him alone...
...or does he just need to see you?
Cover yourself up.
Hey.
Mr. Heep, I know I sent in that form.
- I gave it to you on the stairs.
- Okay.
- My sister's all angry at me now.
- Well, I'll check again.
By the way, this is my friend, Story.
Hi.
Yeah, you were right. Here it is.
Great.
You all right? You look a little...
I'm feeling a little funny. It's nothing.
Is it a pins-and-needles kind of feeling?
Yeah, kind of.
Yeah.
Maybe you should go lie down.
Nice meeting you.
I'm so very happy we saw each other.
You don't have to leave right now,
do you?
I have to go finish a couple of things.
I'll be back.
Is that okay?
Your words are very beautiful.
Your heart is very big.
No one knows about my family here.
Please do not bring it up again.
Coming.
Sorry I'm late, Mrs. Bubchik.
It's... It's been a long day.
Come on.
Listen, he's on the toilet.
He's been having some gas issues.
Don't tell him I told you.
L... I thought the toilet was broken.
That's why I came.
He may just be looking in the mirror.
I mean, he's got this growth on his ass.
Don't tell him I told you.
Honey, Cleveland's here.
He's come to fix the toilet.
Tell him I had it fixed already.
I called the plumber this morning.
- Don't let it hurt his feelings.
- Right.
It's... It's... It's okay.
I should come when you call.
It's my job.
What if that thing's out there?
It'll try to get you?
There are laws. It will be safe.
I'm allowed to leave this night.
- How long do you think?
- It is time.
You must not watch.
Am I not allowed to watch you leave?
I won't watch.
Thank you for letting me wear
your beautiful shirt.
You keep it.
What happened?
Okay. Okay.
Hey. Calm down. Calm down.
How'd you get those scratches?
Did the eagle come?
Did something go wrong? Story.
Story. Was it that dog again?
What's happening?
I thought it was gonna be safe.
Your face doesn't look right.
Are you okay?
Mr. Heep is here. He has a friend.
She's beautiful.
She's not feeling that well:
So she's lying down in my room.
Why is she here?
Why isn't she at his place?
Well, she got sick
in the stairwell downstairs.
She's wearing no clothes
under his shirt.
Blim-blam.
Mr. Heep is a player.
- I hope it's all right.
- It's fine.
Do we need to take her to a hospital?
- Oh, no. No, no, no. That's f... F... F...
- Fine?
Thank you.
No, she just needs some rest.
She can stay here
as long as she needs to.
You started writing again?
Yeah.
I'll be right back. Okay?
Hello. M... Mrs. Choi,
is Young-Soon at home?
No home.
Great. Unbelievable.
Hey. Hey.
Thanks.
- Yeah, hello?
- Mr. Heep?
- Where are you?
- At a club.
Don 't tell my mother.
She thinks I'm at a dance class.
Okay.
What happens if a narf gets scratched?
I don 't know.
Put my mother on, I'll ask her.
Mrs... Mrs. Choi. Mrs...
- Hey.
- Hey. Thank you.
Oh, she... She... She...
She doesn't look happy.
She said the story
her grandmother told...
...said a scrunt has poison
that kill narfs.
But she said
narfs can protect themselves.
They are given a mud called Kii
that cures them.
They keep it where they live.
Okay, okay.
All right. Now, you said that the eagle
comes to take them back.
Right.
Now, what stops this green thing...
...from attacking them
when the eagle comes?
You're funny, Mr. Heep.
- Yeah, I know.
- You really thought about this.
Put my mom on.
- Hey.
- Yeah. Hey. I'm sorry.
Yes?
She said only a rogue scrunt
will break the law of that night...
...because most scrunts are afraid.
Afraid of what?
Tartutic. They are the law keepers
in this bedtime story.
Her grandmother said
there are three of them...
...but they are called one name:
Tartutic.
They live in the trees.
They are said to look like monkeys.
No one knows for sure because
no one who has seen them has lived.
The legend says
that they were born so evil...
...that they killed their parents
on the night they were born.
The fear of them has kept justice
in The Blue World for centuries.
Bye, Mr. Heep.
Thanks.
They are given a mud called Kii
that cures them.
They keep it where they live.
My mom figured out I was at a club.
She made me come home.
She tell me more of the story.
- Why you wet?
- That's... Apartment business.
Listen, Mr. Heep,
my mother thinks of you as stranger.
You have to make her
see you as a child, innocent.
Then she will tell you the bedtime story.
There is a reason
the rules might be broken.
A Thousand Narfs is about a rare narf...
...who comes once
in a generation of narfs...
...who is called the Madam Narf.
Her vessel is important.
This vessel will cause change.
But it is the Madam Narf herself
that is truly the key.
She's considered
a queen to her people.
Her return will be seen
as a great inspiration.
A scrunt will do anything
to kill a Madam Narf...
...even forget his fears of the Tartutic.
He might break the rules for that,
Mr. Heep.
Will she know
that she's a Madam Narf?
No, that is moral of bedtime story.
No one is ever told who they are.
I think we are linked.
It's more than just a story to me too.
I actually want to believe it.
Goodbye, Mr. Heep.
You have saved my life again.
You made that room.
The cracks that I saw. Is that room
supposed to collapse eventually?
I'm not allowed to speak
of The Blue World.
Well, the door needs a little work.
I noticed that you took things
from the apartment...
...that people left around the pool.
That's how I saw you.
You were taking something off of a chair.
I think I might know why
the scrunt needs to get you so bad.
Why did he break the rules tonight?
As it turns out,
I think that you're someone...
...very important to everyone.
I tried to tell them about you.
I don't know if I did the right thing.
I'm not sure how they're gonna react.
I trust you.
I believe you are here to protect me.
Is the Kii working?
Yes, thank you.
If it is true that I am...
He will keep coming after me.
I will not be safe until...
Until Tartutic comes.
My mother said she saw a ghost once,
in the basement.
I was the only one who believed her.
She's not an apparition, Anna.
I don't know who you are...
...but you did something to me.
My thoughts.
Everything became clearer.
The fears that were muddling
my thoughts just went away.
I can hear myself.
Do you wish to know your future?
A boy in the Midwest of this land...
...will grow up in a home where your book
will be on the shelf and spoken of often.
He will grow up
with these ideas in his head.
He will grow into a great orator.
He will speak and his words
will be heard throughout this land...
...and throughout the world.
This boy will become
leader of this country...
...and begin a movement
of great change.
He will speak of you and your words.
Your book will be the seeds
of many of his great thoughts.
It will be the seeds of change.
The Cookbook?
One, two, three.
Oh, jeez.
Could you tell her that I was interested
in hearing more of the story?
Tell her it's a beautiful story.
Are there... Are there any parts
that might be good to hear?
- How is she?
- The medicine's helping her.
I told her to stay under the shower.
She does better with water.
I need to talk with her.
And Vick should be there too.
I told them to wait right outside.
I'll tell them what you have to say.
Tell her I know that she is not allowed
to tell about her world...
...but maybe I could ask some questions,
and she can just say if it's right or wrong.
Know what I did when I was little and me
and my girlfriends would get in trouble?
My mom always wanted to know
what happened...
...but I was like,
"I can't tell on my friends."
So she came up with this way
of me telling her things without talking.
She would say, "Touch your ear
or something if the answer is yes."
So I would, and then
she would know certain things...
...but I didn't really feel
like I told on my friends.
It was cheating, I know,
but made me feel better.
We're ready.
So in this bedtime story...
...the narf has come
to a preordained place.
She must leave from the same spot.
This eagle, the Great Eatlon,
coming to take her back...
...is really very important.
And here's the good stuff.
There are humans
with powers that can help her.
And these people
have been unconsciously drawn...
...to live near the vessel.
Now, these humans
don't know who they are...
...and they always
appear in the story earlier.
Are there humans with powers
that can help you...
...but don't know who they are?
That's a yes!
They've got weird names:
A Symbolist, a Guardian and a Guild.
Ask her if that's right.
You want something.
One of them. Vick.
Mr. Heep. Mr. Heep is one of them.
Which one? Guild, Guardian?
She thinks Mr. Heep is the Guardian.
I was told that there's a Symbolist...
...an interpreter who can read signs
in clouds and other forms.
He will interpret messages...
...from the universe
if problems should arise.
Do you know who the Symbolist
or Interpreter is?
That's a no.
And I was told that there is a Guild...
...whose many hands
will combine to help.
Does she know who they are?
There is a Guild or something.
They're supposed to help
with their hands.
That's another no.
All right, there's one other.
I don't know if it's worth mentioning.
It's not in the stories all the time.
It's a human, usually a female...
...so full of hope...
...that they can awaken
the life force in all things.
Now, that one is called the Healer.
And you can tell
that they're in the story...
...because butterflies
are drawn to the Healer.
- Butterflies.
- The last one's a Healer.
You don't know
any of these people, do you?
Reading? A book?
Learning.
She thinks it has to be learned.
Is the eagle
going to come back for her?
Only one last time.
Mr. Heep,
you know the people in this building.
You have to find them.
What is it?
You know these walls are paper-thin?
I can hear all that bloody noise
downstairs like they were in my kitchen.
Can you do anything about that?
Of course not.
- What is it you want, anyway?
- Well, I had a question.
You're an expert on p... P... Plots, right?
You know who's gonna do what in a book
or a movie even at the beginning, yes?
There is no originality left in the world,
Mr. Heep.
That is a sad fact I've come to live with.
Well, if there was a mystery...
...and a guy had to figure out
who some people were...
...like he had to find a symbol guy...
...someone who can
figure out messages...
...and a guild of people who are going
to be important at the end as a group.
How would you figure that out?
The symbol person should be simple.
Look for any character
who is doing something mundane...
...but required analysis.
Someone who was skilled at puzzles.
Joey, you can't have cereal for lunch.
This picture on the cereal box
is supposed to make you feel happy.
I feel sad, like that time
you forgot to pick me up at school.
Joey, Mr. Heep appears disquieted.
Can you give us a moment alone?
Sure, Dad.
As for the guild...
...Iook for any group of characters
that are always seen together...
...and have seemingly irrelevant
and tedious dialogue...
...that seems to regurgitate forever.
And you just sit around
and talk about nothing?
Oh, we talk about serious issues.
On occasion.
We talked about Martin Luther King
at the Tequila Hut Tuesday night.
You talked about that?
This is the writer's way
of establishing characters...
...who will be important
further in the story.
Is there anything further
I can assist you with during my naptime?
No. No, Mr. Farber. Thank you.
Story, these young men are the Guild.
And Mr. Dury... Mr. Dury?
Mr. Dury is the Interpreter.
And there's one other person.
Mrs. Bell, could you come in here, please?
This is Mrs. Bell, the Healer.
Story wants to go home and she can't.
Tomorrow night is her last chance.
Mr. Dury, please step forward.
- Mr. Heep, you're not stuttering.
- Yes, I know. I know. It's only around her.
Now, the Interpreter will tell us what
to do if something should go wrong.
He will use an instrument
specific to him...
...to interpret.
- Try it, Mr. Dury.
- I don't...
Let's just see what happens.
I think that there's
a message in there for us.
Well, nine letters across
is the word "essential."
And it touches...
...27 down, which is "scheme."
- Essential scheme.
- Yes.
Now, those were the first two words
that I deciphered in this puzzle...
...and I thought that was...
Well, I thought that was weird.
There's a word that seems
out of place to me.
- Yes.
- It's a six-letter word for "get-together."
- "Soiree."
- Soiree.
Soiree could mean "party." How
could a...? How does a party help us?
Well, I guess I thought that, you know...
...a party is interesting because
this thing out there is an animal...
...and it probably has
a very keen sense of smell.
- Why is everyone staring at me?
- Go on. Go on, Mr. Dury. Go on.
Humans have a pungent smell
to animals...
...so I thought that maybe everyone
gathered together would confuse him...
...and he wouldn't be able to distinguish
her from amongst all of us.
Does that sound right?
He's hearing the voice of God
through a crossword puzzle.
- We're just playing here, right?
- No. Wait, wait.
See, I don't think that the Great Eatlon...
...will land in the presence
of beings not from its world.
She didn't want me to watch
when the eagle came the first time.
That's before she knew
that I was the Guardian.
Would I be able to watch now?
But there will be...
There'll be hundreds of people at a party.
It won't work. It won't work. See if
there's anything else in there, Mr. Dury.
This word did give me great difficulty,
and then it came to me.
- "Sonorous."
- Sonorous, sonorous.
It could mean music, a band.
Maybe we gather everyone inside
at the last minute to hear a band...
...and we who are of the world
stay with her...
...to help her with that thing and...
Until she's taken.
He's a prophet.
We're all just seeing what we want to.
I just made all that up.
No, I think that it worked.
I think that it worked.
That is why they're the Guild.
I think they're supposed
to use their hands to throw us a party.
- Is he serious?
- We're gonna throw a party.
- Huge party. We are serious.
- Tell them...
Anything you can do for us,
all right? Tables...
We definitely need a band. It's like
the most important thing. Oh, my God.
You don't think this is gonna work,
do you?
I'm nervous too.
You being out there tomorrow night.
Me not knowing what to do
as the Guardian.
Think I can go out there tonight
and maybe face that thing without you?
Get a little practice with him?
Scare him, maybe?
Show him who's boss?
I know you wanna get home.
You will need a mirror.
Can you hear me? I'm here.
Peer over your shoulder carefully.
It is only through a mirror that one can
see the eyes of a scrunt in the grass.
It will appear to you
as two red spots in the darkness.
Yeah, l... I don 't... I...
Wait.
I see him.
The Guardian has instincts
of when the scrunt will attack.
He is a great weapon against him.
You should walk backwards
towards him.
When you are close enough
to be certain of his position...
...turn and face the hidden scrunt.
I'm facing him.
I am scared.
It is about to get very dangerous.
Okay.
I'm ready.
You must invoke the ancient words
"Nef Ra Mora."
It is a command to rise
and a challenge to fight.
What is happening?
He's rising out of the grass.
His legs are bending and coiling...
...underneath him.
Oh, my God. Oh, my... Oh, no.
He's standing in front of me.
The Guardian can hypnotize a scrunt.
If the Guardian looks directly
into the scrunt's eyes...
...it will be compelled to stay frozen
or move backwards.
What is the J.G. Scrunt's reaction?
Is he frightened?
I'm not sure.
- Look into his eyes.
- I am.
- Is he moving away?
- No.
The Guardian can control his mind.
The J.G. Scrunt will not
be able to attack.
- Okay.
- You must look into his eyes.
I think something's wrong.
He's stepping forward.
He's stepping forward?
Something's wrong!
Cleveland, run!
What is it you are doing?
Hey there.
Anything I can do for you there,
Mr. F... F... F... Farber?
No.
So how was the m... Movie?
- Sucked.
- Oh, what a... What a shame.
Characters were walking around
saying their thoughts out loud.
Who does that?
And a typical romance...
...where the couple finally tell each other
they love one another in the rain.
Why does everyone like to stand around
and talk in the rain in movies?
Well, maybe...
Maybe it's a metaphor for purification,
starting new.
No. It's not.
Are you okay?
He'll choose to move
only when no one is looking.
They're masters of hiding.
A scrunt will hide unless
he cannot hide in his environment.
If a tenant hadn't walked by...
...I'd have been eaten alive.
I had no powers over him.
You are not the Guardian.
I do not understand.
I cannot protect you.
Where are the Tartutic?
Why isn't he being punished?
Where is the justice?
How come you don't ask
about bedtime story anymore?
I've been busy.
You... You coming to the party tonight?
I have to study.
Bye, Mr. Heep.
Mr. Leeds,
did you hear about the p... Party?
You coming?
- A picture here
of the enemy they're...
Does man deserve to be saved,
Mr. Heep?
- What?
- Man.
Yes.
That's not the answer I expected.
Why'd you a... Ask me that?
I know about your family.
I looked you up
when you started working here.
I know someone killed them.
But you can't give up.
You can't hide here, son.
I know.
You don't wanna become like me.
By the way, your invitation would sound
more real if it had the guy's name on it.
There's something strange going on
around this building.
Don't think I haven't noticed.
It is finished?
You can see things in the future?
Some things.
I have a question to ask you.
I will do my best to answer it.
You'll tell me the truth, right?
Yes.
Change doesn't happen the way
you say it's gonna happen...
...without dramatic events
that accelerate thinking.
I wrote this thing.
It might take decades or longer
to create a reaction...
...before it anchors
in the consciousness.
That's not the type of change
you're telling me is gonna happen, right?
I was wondering
why he didn't meet me...
...this leader who's just a boy.
If he was so inspired by my words,
why didn't he try to meet me?
There's a lot of things in The Cookbook
people won't like to hear.
I'm not anything, you know?
I don't think I'm anything special.
So I started thinking,
"How is this gonna happen?
Why are people gonna suddenly
take me seriously?
And why didn't he meet me?"
And I thought of how it could happen.
Story, I wanted to ask you,
is something gonna happen to me?
Is someone gonna kill me
because I write this?
Yes.
Man thinks they're each alone
in this world.
It is not true.
You are all connected.
One act can one day affect all.
What are you guys whispering about?
Is he trying to get you to tell him
how many kids he's gonna have?
I told him eight, all bratty boys.
I asked her if she knew the name
of the deaf, dumb and blind guy...
...that's gonna marry you.
Very funny, Herb.
Okay.
Don't tell my sister.
Hi. I'm Mr. Farber.
I wanted to thank you.
I was completely surprised by all of this.
I was expecting some kind of greeting,
of course.
But this is beyond my expectations.
I'm 13B.
- Oh, yeah. How you doing? What's up?
- Oh, yeah. Good for you.
I know of your future, Cleveland.
Do you wanna hear it?
No.
Tell me what happens
when the eagle takes you back.
It is only what I have been told
by others.
They tell us the world will line up
and reveal we are on the right path...
...that the universe will give us signs.
The Tartutic could have not come yet.
I can still sense
the scrunt's presence near.
You have to believe
that this all makes sense somehow.
I don't know why I'm the Madam Narf.
I'm not special. I'm clumsy.
They make fun of me.
I don't know how to lead.
Do you get sick
every time you break a rule?
Every time that you tell me
something that you shouldn't?
There's a storm coming.
- I am scared.
- It's okay to be scared.
I do not have courage.
I do not want to be a Madam Narf.
You do what you think is right.
You are very brave.
You were always meant to lead, Story.
Cleveland...
...the Great Eatlon is coming.
Okay.
I'm glad you read my journal.
Don't worry. We're all watching you.
Oh, come on.
The music should have started already.
Do not leave this spot.
- Yo, come on.
- Hey.
Find a mirror.
Why hasn't the m... Music started?
It's been working smooth.
We've been playing with it all night.
You used up the battery.
Wave to him.
They told her that the universe
would line up...
...and reveal that we're
on the right p... Path.
Why isn't this working?
Okay.
Sometimes animals just look dead.
Something went wrong.
They took her inside, up by the pool.
It is not time for you to go.
It is not time for you to go.
Isn't this supposed to work?
Fourteen across.
No. No.
I don't know.
I don't know.
This world is about finding
your purpose, right?
And the only way to do that is to find
your own voice. You told us that.
I don't feel like an Interpreter.
Is it possible that that isn't my purpose?
I mean, I don't see anything
in these words, and I didn't before.
And finding one's purpose
is a profound thing.
Sometimes it isn't always
what it seems.
What if these young men
are not the Guild?
Look at what happened at the party.
These things haven't seemed right
from the beginning.
Why are you so certain that I am
the Interpreter and they are the Guild?
He was so sure.
What?
I...
...asked someone.
He acted like he knew.
What kind of person
would be so arrogant...
...to presume to know the intention
of another human being?
Who put this young girl's life
in jeopardy?
Hello?
Is the bathroom on this level working?
A dog inside the building.
Go. Shoo!
Why, you're not a dog at all.
My God.
This is like a moment
from a horror movie.
It is precisely the moment
where the mutation or beast...
...will attempt to kill
an unlikable side character.
But in stories where there
has been no prior cursing, nudity...
...killing or death,
such as in a family film...
...the unlikable character
will narrowly escape his encounter...
...and be referenced again
later in the story...
...having learned valuable lessons.
He may even be given
a humorous moment...
...to allow the audience
to feel good about him.
This is where I turn to run.
You will leap for me.
I will shut the door.
And you will land
a fraction of a second too late.
Why would they lie to her
about Tartutic?
These cannot just be fairy tales
they tell to make the narfs risk their lives.
This has gotta be about faith.
Her world works by different rules
than ours. She may not be dead.
- We need to be told what to do.
- We need to find the Interpreter.
How are we suddenly
going to realize someone's purpose?
This is someone doing something ancient.
An ancient thing in modern times.
It could be someone who sees purity
in what we see as mundane.
Sees the voice of God
in the ordinary.
He is someone who sees meaning
in the ordinary.
Does anyone have any idea
who this is?
My God.
I do.
There is a message.
There is a ceremony to be done.
You're doing great, Joey.
The hands of the Guild will be needed,
plus two others.
Joey, who is the Guild?
It is a ceremony of seven sisters.
Sisters? The Guild is women?
They will touch together
with their hearts as one...
...to bring strength to the moment.
Nice, Joey.
You will need a man
who has no secrets...
...and one whose opinion
is highly respected as witnesses.
All must hurry.
This will all be over in moments.
Mr. Perez de la Torre.
I need to speak with your
f... F... F... F... Five daughters.
Honey? Honey,
there's some people here to see you.
Sweetheart?
He's probably rinsing his mouth.
He's got terrible breath.
Don't tell him I told you.
- Huge explosions
right in the very heart of the capital.
Several explosions, I felt at least four
very close to the center of the city.
I think we have everybody.
A man who has no secrets...
...and one whose opinion
I greatly respect.
They will be w... W... Witnesses.
Will the Guild please come forward?
Yeah.
And you make seven.
Seven sisters.
Come, come.
Yeah.
Everything's right now.
Come back to us now.
Come back to us now, honey.
Come back to us.
I can't believe it.
This is crazy. This woman
is probably dying as we're talking.
She needs to get to a hospital.
This is not right. We can't just stand here
playing make-believe.
I wanted to believe more than most.
I wanna be like a child again.
I needed to believe there's more
than this awfulness around us...
...but at some point we have to stop.
Mr. Leeds, it is time to prove
some stories are real.
I read it wrong.
It was my first time.
I thought it said, "She will lead
a ceremony of seven sisters...
...to bring strength to the moment."
I looked at it again. It says "he."
"He will lead a ceremony of seven sisters
to bring strength to the moment."
Mrs. Bell is not the Healer.
It said the Healer could be a man.
But l... But l...
I saw a butterfly land right on her.
Butterflies?
Yeah, the bedtime story
said butterflies are drawn to the Healer.
But, Mr. Heep,
you brought that butterfly to me.
It caught my eye as you walked over.
I did?
Wait, no.
You must try.
- There's no time.
- I can't. I can't. I can't.
Shut up...
...and try.
Say something to bring out your energy.
I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.
I should have been there.
I am always gonna regret...
...just not being there.
I'll miss your faces.
Oh, they remind me of God.
I'm so lost without you guys.
I met this very nice lady,
and her name's Story.
And I think you would've liked her.
I think she might be...
...an angel...
...because she has to go home.
I love you all.
I love you all so much.
Thank you for all you have done.
Your sister will have seven children.
You will see the first two.
Oh, my God. He's the Guardian.
Reggie!
Reggie! Reggie,
just keep looking in his eyes!
Keep looking in his eyes!
Thank you for saving my life.