EXT. MATAI BAY WATERSEDGE - CONTINUOUS
The fish flutters in Sam's hand.
Samantha squeals.
Shattering the tranquillity of the Bay.
Dropping the fish Samantha runs to her mother.
The men follow.
The Family gather around Samantha to comfort her.
RICHARD
I'm sorry Sam.
SAMANTHA
It wasn't funny!
RICHARD
(Smirking) Well…
MARIE
(Snarling) Richard!
JACK
Honey you should of guess something was up. Uncle has a divers watch.
Marie rolls her glare to Jack, for laying any fault with Samantha.
MARIE
OK! That's it! Everybody back to the fire. I've had enough.
The seventh wave chooses to break now, louder than the others it gives Samantha another fright.
SAMANTHA
(Squeals)
Further angering Marie.
MARIE
Now!
Marie draws her daughter closer, protectively, they stride back down the beach, the boys follow solemnly behind
Sitting back around the fire, the atmosphere is tense.
Bryce, bored, looks around the family’s faces, then leaps.
BRYCE
Uncle you find any gold, on your last trip?
Marie fires Richard a warning shot, glance.
Bryce looks pleadingly to his uncle. Even Samantha has leaned forward in anticipation.
RICHARD
Alright then.
Bryce cheers.
RICHARD (CONT’D)
It all started back in late October. We were bumming......
Marie coughs, indicating for Richard to cut to the chase..
RICHARD (CONT’D)
OK. We left Singapore......
Richard pauses for effect.
SAMANTHA
(Demurely) On a treasure hunt.
It's Richard's turn to glare. Samantha cocks her head, bringing the scores closer.
Richard accepts the payback.
RICHARD
That's right we were going after the Nuestra Senora De La Concepion. a famous Spanish galleon. She used to run from Manila, in the Philippines, to Acapulco, in Mexico.
Bryce is enthralled.
BRYCE
(Squeaks) How'd she sink Uncle?
Richard chuckles at Bryce's misfortune.
RICHARD
Keep calm dude. I'll get there. Back in the day, customs officers, came down hard on the ships. Making them fill out their cargo manifests in minute detail. This didn't go down well at all with the governor, Don Sebastion Hurtado De Corcuera, because he was sending back a little booty on the side. A little ivory, from Cambodia, some camphor from Borneo.
And a bit of gold and what not from Siam and cinnamon and pepper from the Spice Islands.
The Kids start laughing.
SAMANTHA
Yeah right! Cinnamon and pepper's a treasure
Bryce standing on the log, holding his nose he jumps, pretending to enter the water.
Now resurfacing, his hand held high breaking the imaginary Ocean's surface.
BRYCE
(shouting)
I've found it! I've found it! The lost pepper from the New Senorita Suspicion.
All three adults burst into laughter.
BRYCE (CONT’D)
Oh.. Doesn't matter, it's wet.
Samantha feeding off her brother drops the adolescent attitude, letting the kid shine through.
She stands beside her brother.
SAMANTHA
It's alright, I got a Cinnamon Roll! It must be worth thousands.
Bryce laughing that much, when he sits down he misjudges his landing, falling backwards off the log. Reaching out he drags his sister with him.
Both kids have only the legs showing over the log, laughing. Richard shakes his head smiling.
Samantha, regains her composure and she sits back on the log straightening herself up.
RICHARD
What do they teach you at school.
Richard turns to Bryce
RICHARD (CONT’D)
I suppose you go to school just to eat your lunch?
Samantha jumps in.
SAMANTHA
Yeah and chase the girls.
Bryce screws his face up at his sister.
SAMANTHA (CONT’D)
But surely pepper's not a treasure?
RICHARD
Not now, but all those years ago, spices were worth a fortune. Indonesia was known as the Spice Islands and Europe was going gaga for all these new things. Fortunes were made in trading spices and the Governor was cashing in.
Jack and Marie stare at Richard incredulity. He was never this well informed on anything.
RICHARD (CONT’D)
Yeah, yeah, I know. The boys told me one day while we were having a couple beers on the poop deck. Anyway back to the story.
Corcuera was a tad worried about his precious cargo, so he put his nephew, Don Juan Francisco, in charge. He had bugger all experience and the crew mutinied. While they all had a big punch up she ran aground on a reef. As she started to break up she slipped off the rocks and slid in to deeper water.
JACK
(intrigued)
How deep?
RICHARD
(smiling)
A hundred and fifty feet. And that's where we were heading. For the lost gold and treasures of the Nuestra De La Concepcion, da da daa.
RICHARD (CONT’D)
But first we had to pack.
BRYCE
(whining)
Uncle.
SAMANTHA
Yeah! We don't want to know how many undies you took.
MARIE
Sam!
The men look at each other while Bryce chuckles.
RICHARD
OK. It was a cracker of a day and.....
A distant flash of lightning. The trailing sound of thunder. The wisp of the following breeze, barely disturbs the flames, makes the hair stand up on the back of Richard's neck, causing him to shiver, shaking it off.
EXT. MATAI BAY -- NIGHT
The Dennison's are totally engrossed with the story.
BRYCE
What happened after that?
RICHARD
(distracted)
Nothing, we found nothing, the bosses called it quits. We weighed anchor and headed back to port, they went back to the drawing board and I came home for Christmas.
JACK
Come on Richard. That's a bit weak.
RICHARD
That's the nature of treasure hunting. Win some, lose some.
Another flash, another roll and another chill.
It's a quick fire question round.
RICHARD
(agitated)
I don't know.......
Beat
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Ah.. At home with my gear.
BRYCE
Are they cool?
Jack and Marie look to each other, then question Richard.
RICHARD
(guiltily)
Found a Jap Warship, got a couple of souvenirs.
BRYCE
The swords are they cool?
Richard still a little distant.
RICHARD
(intolerant)
Ah…Eh?.... Yeah... I'll show you when we get home.
Bryce slumps with the change in his Uncle's attitude and Samantha looks to her parents.
Richard quickly stands.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
I'll go and look for some more fire wood.
Jack catches Richard's attention, glaring.
RICHARD (CONT'D)
Hey Dude! You want to help?
Richard puts his arm around Bryce's shoulders, Marie smiles.
Bryce's mood picks up, the pair walk off into the dark.
EXT. MATAI BAY AMONG
TOI TOI - CONTINUOUS
Richard and Bryce are walking among the Toi Toi picking up drift wood.
A clear clap of thunder.
BRYCE
(quietly)
One tomato, two tomato, three tomato, four tomato......eleven tomato.
The ensuing breeze kisses the dainty, feather like heads of the Toi Toi, aggravating Richard’s foul temperament.
BRYCE (CONT'D)
You alright Uncle?
Richard, breathes, smiles and softly nods his head, appreciating the concern.
Laden with firewood Richard cautiously leads Bryce out of the Toi Toi, scanning the horizon. The horizon’s a glow.
A huge orange hue slowly spreading out across the ocean's surface.
BRYCE (CONT'D)
Whoa, cool!
After an apprehensive few moments a perigee moon breaks the horizon, it's huge, so close you could almost touch it. Slowly it climbs out of the sea.
RICHARD
(Relieved)
Yeah, not bad. Come-on, lets head back.
Richard and Bryce slowly head back towards the fire, with their haul of driftwood.
BA..BOOM. Another clap of thunder. Closer, clearer, Louder. Both Richard and Bryce drop their firewood.
BRYCE
One Tomato. Two Tomato. Three Tomato. Four.
The cool stiff breeze arrives and just as quickly passes.
Again Richard tries to shake the goosebumps off himself.
RICHARD
I thought you were supposed to do that when you saw lightening?
BRYCE
I know, I made a mistake. But the last one was eleven seconds before we got the breeze and this one was only four.
RICHARD
And?
BRYCE
If the same rule applies, then what ever it is, is getting closer.
Richard has a quick think about it, and then bends down gathering up the driftwood he dropped.
Bryce still stands scanning the horizon. The orange hue from the rising moon now lights up the headland embracing the bay.
BRYCE (CONT'D)
(startled)
Look'
A sea fog rolls slowly round the northern headland.
Through the soft white cumulus pillows of fog, a sharp, Battleship grey guillotine edge, slices, intermittently.
Richard stands gob smacked.
BRYCE (CONT'D)
It's a ship... See every now and then you can see the bow.
The Guillotine forms stronger as it travels down, in its slicing motion, and dissipating on its return leg.
RICHARD
Come on let's get