Resume e Block

The men follow Paul onto the Mile. By now, Del is CACKLING

WILDLY in his cell. Brutal shoots Paul a look--has he gone

insane? Paul gestures " see for yourself."

They arrive at the bars...and find the mouse sitting on Del's

shoulder. Del looks up, giggling like a kid at Christmas.

DEL

Look! I done tame me dat mouse!

PAUL

We see that.

DEL

Watch dis! Watch what he do!

He stretches out his left arm. The mouse crawls over the top

of his head, scampers along his arm to the wrist, turns

around and scampers back. The guards just stand there,

staring.

DEL

Ain't he sumpthin now? Ain't Mr.

Jingles smart?

PAUL

Mr. Jingles?

DEL

Dat his name. He whisper it in my

ear. Cap'n, can I have a box for

my mouse so he can sleep in here

wi' me?

PAUL

I notice your English gets better

when you want something.

DEL

Wanna see what else he can do?

Watch, watch, watch...

He puts the mouse on the floor, grabs a small wooden spool.

The mouse sees it, poises like a man getting ready for a race.

DEL

We play fetch, Mr. Jingles? We

play fetch?

He tosses the spool across the floor, bounces it against the

wall. The mouse goes after it like a dog after a stick--and

proceeds to push it back to the bunk, rolling it with its

front paws all the way to Delacroix's feet.

By now, the guard's jaws are hanging open. Paul's got a funny

little chill running up his spine.

DEL

He fetch it ever' time. Smart as

hell, ain't he? We do da trick

again, watch, watch, watch...

Again he throws the spool. Again the mouse goes after it,

starts rolling it back. Del howls with laughter, claps his

hands like a kid. Brutal murmurs to the others:

BRUTAL

Who's training who here?

COFFEY

That's some smart mouse, Del. Like

he's a circus mouse or something.

DEL

A circus mouse! Dat jus' what he

is, too! A circus mouse! I get

outta here, he make me rich, see

if he don't!

He picks up the spool again, makes a drumroll sound, tosses

it. The mouse does its thing, rolling the spool back...

...as Percy enters the scene. Del catches sight of him and

scoops up his mouse, drawing fearfully back on his bunk. He

tries to hide Mr. Jingles in his hands--but the mouse

wriggles from his grasp and scampers up on top of his head,

where he regards Percy with mistrustful, beady mouse eyes.

PERCY

Well, well. Looks like you found

yourself a new friend, Eddie.

Del tries to offer some defiance--but all he can manage is:

DEL

Don' hurt him, 'kay? 'kay?

Percy shrugs as if to say " no skin off me", looks to Paul.

PERCY

That the one I chased?

PAUL

(level)

Yes, that's the one. Only Del says

his name is Mr. Jingles.

PERCY

Is that so?

Paul trades a look with the others, everybody wondering just

what the hell's going through Percy's mind.

PAUL

Del was just asking for a box. He

thinks the mouse will sleep in it,

I guess. That he might keep it for

a pet. What do you think?

PERCY

I think it'll shit up his nose

some night and run away, but I

guess that's Del's lookout.

(beat)

We oughtta find a cigar box. Get

some cotton batting from he

dispensary to line it with. That

should do real nice.

Percy walks away, leaving them dumbstruck. Paul turns to the

others. Of all the things they've seen in the last few

minutes, Percy being nice is the most amazing of all.

PAUL

Man said get a cigar box.

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