LATER THAT EVENING.....

Tyler's been released from the hospital, but he's under doctor's orders to law low for the rest of the weekend.  Later that evening, he's watching news of the tragic fire at the high school when he decides to change the channel to one that's carrying a movie.  As the movie begins, a male choir sings:

"Fuck Hitler!
Proudly Presents A Film
By The Nutzi Party
In The U.S. And Canada!
Pro-duc-ed By Jaing Zemin!
Cre-at-ed By Raul Castro!
Dir-ect-ed By Hugo Sanchez!"

"What?" Tyler yells.  "A Nazi song sung to the 20th. Century Fox Fanfare?"  And he sees the listing in the TV section saying, "Hark!  The White Faced Angels Sing."  It goes on to say, "The First Nazi Movie Ever Filmed In America And Given An NC-17 Rating!"  The movie's about a group of unemployed Nazis running a plantation in modern day Georgia, where poor blacks are being used for experiments.  Tyler switches the channel back to the news.

"Well," the weather man says, "we can expect another depressing weekend of rain and cool weather with temperatures hovering near the 60s.  Some thunderstorms are expected later Saturday and Sunday as a hurricane is expected to hit Cape Cod on Sunday morning.  Hurricane Alex, the first named storm of the season is expected to hit the Cape this weekend, and that's why we've posted hurricane watches from Eastport, Maine to Plymouth, Massachusetts.  And a hurricane warning is posted from Plymouth, all through the Cape, clear down to Block Island, Rhode Island."

"You gotta be shitting me!" Tyler says.  "We're gonna get hit with a hurricane this early in the summer."

At that moment, Marvin Ellis appears at the door.  "Hey, Tyler," he asks him.

"What is it, Marvin?" Tyler replies.

"There was a fire over at the Rockland earlier tonight," Marvin says.

"I just watched it over on the news, Marv," Tyler says.  "What's the situation there?"

"Really bad," Marvin replies.  "About 45 kids are dead and a hundred more are injured.  And it's all because the big boss chained the fire exits.  Everyone had to break the windows and go out!"

"Well," Tyler replies.  "I've had a couple of bad days with my wife being taken to an assisted living facility and now those poor kids are probably meeting their maker.  I hope they died in the state of grace."

"I hope so, too," Marvin agrees.

Meanwhile, news of the fire has reached the national airwaves.  The networks cancel all late night shows to report on the fire and the tremendous loss of life.  The death toll rises from 45 to 62, many of them high school students.  When the firefighters are asked how high the toll might go, they banish the reporters from the scene.  A live picture appearing on TVs across America show the burnt out remains of the Rockland Ballroom and the numbers of injured partygoers outside the complex licking their wounds.

At the Periwinkle Village General Store, Sean Harrigan is closing the place down for the night when someone rushes in.

"Sean," the boy, an 18 year old lad, says.

"Is that you, Clark?" Sean says.  "I thought you were at the prom..."

"It's Caitlin," Clark says.

"What...?"  Then Sean realizes that his daughter Caitlin was going to the prom with him.

"She's in trouble," Clark says.  "Big trouble."

"What are you talking about?" Sean asks.

"There's no time for explanations," Clark says.  "You've got to come with me to the hospital.  Right now."

"Okay," Sean says.  Then he turns to Prema, a young Indian woman living in Duxbury, who's been helping run the store tonight, "Prema, I've got to go.  Something's wrong with Caitlin and I've got to find out about it.  Please lock up the store for me."

"Okay, Sean," Prema says.  She watches as Clark and Sean take off in his new Cadillac.  As the car speeds down the road, Prema prays that the girl will be all right.  Meanwhile, someone is coming into buy some cigarettes.

"What'll you have?" Prema asks.

"I'll have a box of Virginia Slims," the guy says.

"That's for ladies like me," Prema responds.

"Hell with you, then," the guy snarls.  He walks out without anything.  Meanwhile, Prema is swearing in Hindi.  Your guess at what she's saying is as good as mine.



To be continued...