The Red Turtle Page #4

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The man turns around. No, they're elsewhere, their feet in the water.

He runs over to them. The musicians disappear.

It was only a dream, a dismal mirage.

The man goes back onto the beach.

He cries and wails, alone and abandoned.

Fade to black.

I.5. 3rd attempt with the raft. Appearance of the turtle.

Another day has dawned on the island.

The man appears on his knees, exhausted, among the bushes which line the

pond.

He plunges his head in the water to drink and clear his head.

Still convalescing, he walks through the bamboos, then remains sitting for a

long while in the water, leaning against a rock.

Later.

He has started to build another raft when he happens upon a dead seal near

the rocks.

He skins the animal, washes it with plenty of water, and dries it in the sun.

At nightfall, he makes a jacket or trousers out of it.

Another day.

A crab scuttles among the sticks of bamboo on the new raft.

The man casts off and climbs onto the boat.

The crabs are onboard, determined to leave with him.

The man drives them away. The crabs turn back to the beach and watch the

raft departing.

On the raft, the man is on the look-out.

The boat moves along slowly as there isn't much wind.

Then, again the danger appears.

And for the first time, the man sees it.

It's an enormous red turtle which seems to want his raft to sink every time.

The man readies his weapon, trying to get the upper hand in the fight, but to

no avail.

Once again, the monstrous turtle comes up from the depths and shatters the

raft.

The man falls into the water and sinks straight to the bottom.

When he is under the water, the monster swims up to him, scaring him.

After sinking the man's raft, will it try to kill him?

The man curls up and heads for the depths. But the enormous turtle keeps

coming closer.

The man hides his face. Through his fingers, he can see the turtle's enormous

head and round eyes staring at him.

Then, suddenly, for no apparent reason, the turtle swims away.

The man comes back to the surface, gasping for breath.

He's had the fright of his life.

Part II. The man and the woman-turtle.

II. 1. Murder of the turtle and bitter regrets.

The man returns to the island, beside himself with rage. Fear has given way

to anger.

He throws a rock into the water and shakes a bamboo furiously.

He is yelling his rage at the hillside when he sees it again. The turtle is on the

beach, on his territory.

The man races down. He comes out of a copse, armed with a bamboo, runs

over to the turtle, and hits it with all his strength. The stick breaks with the

force of the blow. The seagulls overhead caw at the violence of his act.

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