Epilogue - A rainy street
The tricycle parked under a canopy outside a McDonald’s, still sizzling in the long rain. Now sky starting to look grey like dawn.
The cyclist is inside ordering a couple of burgers. Hadley sits by the sidecar trying to dry the wet script with his shirt.
HADLEY: It was funny the night it all hit. We were fucked on speed down on the beach and climbing all over the rocks in the dark. It was very exciting and we thought we were getting somewhere we hadn’t been before – just over these rocks – just around these waves –
The cyclist walks outside and hands Hadley a burger in warm paper wrapping. Unwraps his own and starts munching.
HADLEY: I was gathering seaweed and tying it to my head so the water was running in my eyes. Some of us crawled down to where the waves hit the rocks and tried to hold on to the wet ledges so the white water would hit them. We couldn’t see each other, just shapes moving on the rocks, bit black shadows and all kinds of crazy noises. It was fucking terrifying.
CYCLIST: Yes.
HADLEY: Thing is I know there were more of us on the rocks than were in the car. I kept thinking there must be fishermen here and they’ll report us to the cops or the coastguard or something. I knew it, I kept seeing shapes and I didn’t recognise them and at one point I saw two little boys running on the very edge of the horizon, which was waves, black waves moving up and down against a black sky, and two black shadows moving over the waves cutting out the stars. I kept wanting to shout ‘Don’t run on the water!’ but it was too noisy and everything was exploding all around me and crabs at my feet and spray and the wind and my jaw grinding and shouts and slipping and stumbling… I didn’t know what to say.
CYCLIST: What happened?
HADLEY: Sun came up. We were all cut to shit. Bruises and scratches and big cuts rom falling over on the rocks.
CYCLIST: What happened to the two who were running on the water?
HADLEY: I don’t know. We split up the rest of the speed and we drove home.
CYCLIST: What about the two shapes you saw running over the waves?
HADLEY: I don’t know. Maybe they drowned. Fuck that fucking policeman…
CYCLIST: He has ruined your script?
HADLEY: It’ll be all right. It’s just Finig’s copy. You know they must have drowned. They couldn’t have kept running over the ocean. They must’ve gone under.
CYCLIST: Probably.
HADLEY: Probably.
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