Somewhere Else
A helicopter crashes in Castle Rock. A train hits a school bus. A child watches from his parents' car.
Matthew's mother hears her son in his crib, crying. Frustrated by the noise, she strangles the baby and hen walks out of the nursery. The baby comes back to life and cries again, Later, Matthew dedicates the rest of his life to serving God and hearing His voice. One terrible day, he receives instructions from God and assembles a cage in his basement.
The Kid is out running, and stops on the bridge for a moment to check his time. He goes home, puts on a suit, and finds a note from Marret wishing him luck. The Kid smiles, grabs his case, and goes to his office to give a presentation on Alzheimer's. He shows the board a video of a cat, Puck, suffering from similar symptoms as Alzheimer's, explains that they gave it their hippocampal implanted, and takes Puck out of the case. Puck is back to normal, and the Kid says that now they have restored the car's cognitive functions.
Later, the Kid and his girlfriend Marret, a member of the board, are out walking. She says that she has to take a more realistic approach, and the Kid reminds her that tomorrow is the day. Alan calls and tells the Kid that he has some bad news. The sheriff says that the Kid's mother Ruth is fine and it's about Matthew.
The Kid takes a taxi to Castle Rock, and gets out and walks. He walks through a rejuvenated downtown and the Fall Harvest celebration in the town square, and past the church. The Kid arrives at the Deaver house and finds mail piled up on the porch. He lets himself in and finds the house in disarray. There's rotting food on the kitchen counters and dishes piled up in the sink. Sitting down, the Kid remembers Matthew's sermon about death being swallowed up in victory. Getting up, the Kid looks out the window and looks over at Molly's house, and remembers her signaling to him using a flashlight many years ago.
Molly's sister Brigid pulls up into the Strand driveway. The Kid goes over and Brigid talks about how Matthew killed himself. As the Kid starts to explain who he is, Molly comes out and recognizes the kid: Henry Deaver.
That night at the Mellow Tiger, Molly and Henry get drinks and they talk about Molly's childhood when she was shy. Henry explains that Ruth is in Sarasota living with Alan, and that Alan was the one who convinced Ruth to leave Matthew. He says that Ruth has Alzheimer's and that's why he got into the field of Alzheimer's treatment. Molly tells Henry that Ruth did the right thing getting out of Castle Rock.
Molly and Henry walk back home, and Henry asks Molly what set Matthew off. She says that Matthew didn't talk to anyone after he left the church, and Henry describes how they used to signal back and forth as children. Henry points out that she always knew when he was awake, and says that it was good seeing her. They hug and Molly goes into her home. Henry goes inside and calls Marret, and explains what happened. The lights don't work, and Henry finds a flashlight and looks for the fuse box. Marret says that her period is one day late, and Henry suggests that she take a pregnancy test.
Henry goes downstairs as Marret asks him to call her in the morning. He finds the fuse box and turns on the lights, and finds the young Henry Deaver--the present one--locked in the cage. The Kid calls the police and they arrive while Molly and Brigid watch Henry. Dennis questions the Kid, who says that he hasn't talked to Matthew in decades. Dennis tells the Kid that Henry isn't saying anything except "Henry Deaver".
Going outside, the Kid looks at the EMTs as they check Henry. Dennis asks if Matthew ever molested the Kid, and the Kid says that he never did but thought that he heard the voice of God in the forest and dragged him out there hoping that the Kid would hear it as well. Meanwhile, Henry hears the ringing in his ears and runs out into the forest. Two policemen grab him and bring him back.
The next morning, the Kid looks at his father's recliner and finds his recorder. The Kid plays it back and listens to Matthew talking about the tragedies that have struck Castle Rock. When he realizes that the tape is for week 1437, the Kid goes to the shed when he realizes the other tapes aren't in the house. He finds the tapes, which have Matthew talking about the tragedies that have cursed the area since before the town's founding. Matthew talks about how God abandoned the town or is punishing them. The Kid goes out into the woods when he finds a tape of Matthew saying that he spent years in the woods trying to hear God tell him how to end the town's curse.
The Kid finds a crate filled with sound-dampening found. On the tape, Matthew says that he heard something scratching at the back door trying to get in. Matthew found Henry there, having emerged from the woods. Henry called him "Dad" and said that he heard it, and he woke up in the forest and there was no snow. No one in Castle Rock knew him, and the place had changed from what Henry knew. Henry told Matthew that he was his son, adopted, and the two of them prayed in Castle Woods and Henry heard God. When Henry said that Ruth didn't try and trick Matthew, Matthew knew that he was telling the truth because no one else would know.
While the Kid listens to Matthew saying that he tested Henry, he gets a knife and cuts through the police tape sealing off the basement. Going downstairs, the Kid grinds up some pills into a glass of water, then gets into the cage. On the tape, Matthew says that he eventually realized that he had been bought cheap and Henry wasn't his son.
Later, the Kid plays the tape for Molly and Matthew talks about he had invited "the Deceiver" in. The Kid says that Matthew was right when he described how the Kid would like to him about hearing God. Molly says that the tragedies happened decades ago, and they listen to a tape of how Matthew grew old while Henry never aged. He raised Henry and almost let him out many times, surrendering to his charms. Matthew says that if his Henry is listening to the tapes, then it means that Matthew finally surrendered. He warns that the Devil walks the streets of Castle Rock, and men will turn on each other until blood runs in the streets until Henry is back in a cage. Molly offers to find out where they took Henry.
That night, Molly and the Kid drive away. Emergency vehicles pass them, and they follow them to the burning hospital. Molly talks to a policeman and confirms that seven are dead and ten missing. They took Henry away because they think that he set the fire. The Kid and Molly go to the police station and Dennis waves to the Kid as he waits. Molly talks to Sheriff Jim, saying that the Kid is a doctor and can get through to Henry.
Jim lets them talk to Henry, who says that his name is Henry Matthew Deaver. He doesn't know how old he is, and squints up at the light. Molly gives him a pair of sunglasses and asks if he started the hospital fire. Henry nods that he did, and explains that he couldn't stop the boy in the bed next to him. The boy was too close, and Henry clutches at his head as he hears the ringing noise. Henry then tells them that they have to go to the woods because isn't much time left. Molly takes his hand and "sees" what Henry has been through, and remembers her childhood with Henry rather than the Kid.
The police take Henry back upstairs, and Molly complains to Jim about how they can't lock up Henry. She finally tells the Kid that Henry is coming with them. Jim insists that Henry can't leave their resident until the next morning when the authorities will pick him up, and Dennis will sweep Molly's house for weapons and incendiaries and then stay outside on guard. As they drive past the forest, Henry stares out the window at it. Molly remembers killing Matthew by unplugging him from the respirator.
The cars stop at a railroad crossing, and Molly says that they have to help him. The Kid wonders what she means, and she says that Henry has to go where he wants to go: toward the sound. When the train comes down the tracks, Molly drives the car across the tracks and the train cuts off Dennis from following.
Molly pulls off on the side of the road, and Henry runs into the forest. The Kid and Molly follow him, while Dennis pulls up to Molly's car and goes after them.
The Kid and Molly find Henry standing in the middle of the forest. Henry finds himself in daylight, looking at a young girl--Amity--in a period dress holding a knife. Molly touches Henry's shoulder and sees what he sees. Meanwhile, Dennis runs up gun drawn and tells them to freeze. The Kid tries to reassure him and Dennis orders him down on the ground.
Amity looks up at the crows gathering overhead, and Henry and Molly look up as well. The girl runs off, and Henry and Molly run after her. Dennis runs after them, firing a warning shot into the air, Molly comes to a rift in reality, and someone shoots her in the back. She collapses dying in her own reality, and Dennis and the Kid run up. Dennis insists that he shot into the air. Molly tells the Kid to help Henry and then dies, and the Kid finds himself in the daylight, Molly's body gone. Two prisoners run from a guard with a dog, and a teenager slits her wrists. Amity is there, holding the knife, and Henry looks up at the crows flying overhead.
The Kid finds himself kneeling in a snow-covered forest, with no sign of Henry or Molly. He runs until he comes to Castle Lake, and sees a young Alan find Henry on the ice-covered water.
Here
The Kid tells Molly that he wandered around for days trying to get back. Dale found him and took him to Shawshank, locking him in the cage and saying that he was the Devil. The Kid asks Molly if she believes him.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 5, 2018