Frame on the Wall: The Making of 'The Door in the Floor' Page #2

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Got it.

l've-- l read all your novels

and all your children's books,

and my favorite is The

Door in the Floor. Ahh.

Well, you're probably one of the few

people on earth who have read all my novels.

So, uh, what makes you think

you want to be a writer, Eddie?

Oh, l wrote something,

and l brought it with me.

l'd be extremely honored if you might read

it, whenever you're not busy, of course.

Well, writing is rigorous work.

l keep myself incredibly busy.

Yeah. Many of my books contain

every word must be examined and

re-examined thoroughly. Okay.

You're going to be spending the whole summer

looking for le mot juste, as Flaubert says. Oh.

- The right word. The true word.

- Okay. Well,

l'm prepared to throw myself in headlong

and do whatever you need me to do.

Yeah, because l'm sure there'll be

many different tasks that will come up.

Oh, all right.

For example, l need squid.

l'm, uh, using squid ink for my new book,

and for all my drawings now.

There's a, uh--

a woman in Montauk,

she's a fishmonger.

She collects the squid ink for me.

Should l go today?

Ah, you can go tomorrow. You see her

husband over there, don't mention my name.

Also, I have to tell you--

because it's a little complicated--

you've arrived here during what is

a sad time in a long, happy marriage.

Uh, Marion and l, we're separating--

temporarily, on a trial basis.

And l've, uh--

l've rented a small apartment in town,

and every other night one of us

will be spending the night there.

Uh, during the day, you'll work there

at the apartment while l'm working here,

but you'll sleep here.

l know it seems

unnecessarily complicated, but...

it's hard to know what's--

what's best for my daughter.

Anyway, your bedroom is in the main

house, upstairs, second door on the left.

Uh, you want to take your stuff up

there, relax? Or you wanna take a shower?

Unpack.

Okay, well,

make yourself comfortable, Eddie.

Thank you, sir.

And... l'm sorry about your marriage.

Me too, Eddie.

Anyway,

l'm sure you're gonna do great here.

lt's gonna be a good summer for ya.

l'm glad to have ya.

- [ Screaming ]

- [ Door Slams ]

## [ Ruth Humming ]

#[ Stereo:
Woman Singing, Indistinct ]

Did you see the shrine?

Mm-hmm.

lt's kinda creepy, huh?

lt's sad.

You go to Exeter, right?

Yeah, l'm an upper.

An ''upper''?

Yeah, like, an upperclassman--

like, kind of like a junior. Your

father's a teacher there, right?

So you get to go for free?

Yeah.

He was their teacher, right?

So that's why you're here?

l guess.

- Did you know them before they died?

- Uh, no, but l heard a lot about them.

When l was in eighth grade

l used to date a senior from Exeter.

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