House by the Lake (2017) Movie Script
1
So it sounds like you're
not sure about this anymore.
Being a mother,
being married...
my job.
I was talking about the vacation.
Well, it just doesn't sound
like it's gonna be a vacation.
Dumping a whole new routine on Emma,
it's gonna be hard for her.
Or for you.
I'm used to juggling a million things.
What does Emma's doctor say about the trip?
Dr. Gardner thinks it's gonna be great.
- Hmm.
- But then I think about
how hard I've worked to make this home
a safe space for Emma
where she can get better,
and... and I just worry that she's going
somewhere I can't control.
Okay, here's a thought.
Maybe you can use this vacation as a chance
to practice not being in control so much.
You can see what it's like to
really focus on the present,
what happens when you're
actually in the moment.
Okay, how 'bout, like, Ten Places in
Your Child's Bedroom With the Most Germs"?
Emms.
Emma.
Check out the view.
Hey, Jan, can you hear me?
Emma.
What? Hello?
- I lost you.
- Earth to Emma.
Can you slow down a little bit?
I'm not even going the speed limit.
Why don't you get off
the phone for two seconds?
Yeah, sorry. No, the
reception up here is nuts.
Okay, how 'bout a post on...
Hey, Emms, you got something on your cheek.
I know. That's just... That's just
something that's happening, so...
No!
Get away from me.
For God sakes, Karen.
- Shit.
- I'm sorry.
- No.
- Hey, Emma, it's okay.
- It's okay. Mommy didn't mean it.
- No!
- Mommy didn't mean it.
- Get away from me.
I'm gonna have to call you back.
Hey, Emma.
Can you hear me, baby?
Look out the window, kiddo.
Daddy used to come sailing
here and come swimming here.
Look at the water.
I don't like the water.
Did you check out the view?
You were going a lot faster than...
I'm surprised you had time.
You were on the phone so much.
Yeah, I can be on the
phone and see the view.
Yeah?
Hey, Emms, baby.
Hey...
why don't we set up
your coloring station
right here? Sit down, baby.
Here's your favorite pad...
and your coloring pencils. Yay.
That's still creepy.
You know, it still smells
in here, that smell.
Yeah. It grows on you, right?
What is that?
I'm surprised you remember.
It's been a lot of years since then.
You were drunk most of the time.
What's drunk?
Oh, that's something your Mom and Dad
used to do quite a bit,
but now your mother tends to forget,
bit like butterfly tattoos.
What are butterfly tattoos?
Never mind.
Crap. I know what I forgot.
Please say underwear.
Chia.
As in the pet?
As in the seed.
So you can grow a pet?
No, for brain development.
It's got omega-3 fatty acids.
I put them in smoothies for Emma.
- Dr. Gardner said...
- Oh, if Dr. Gardner said it,
then it must be right.
That's why we hired a nanny.
No, that's why you hired a nanny.
I only agreed, because I thought
we needed another adult around here.
So there'd be two of you, right?
What is that?
- What?
- Nothing.
See? Okay, that's my point.
Is that what you're talking about?
That's my point.
Hi!
- Hi.
- Scott?
- Gwen?
- Yeah.
- You're Gwen?
- Yes. Hi.
- Oh, I'm so sorry.
- Nice to meet...
Hi. You're a bit early, right?
- I know.
- Please come in.
Let me take that. Looks real heavy.
- Thanks.
- Oh, my God.
What have you got in here?
This is... I have... It's a month.
This is a beautiful house.
Yeah. It belongs to my folks.
They usually rent it out,
but they're letting us steal it for a bit.
- Wow.
- Please, come...
Karen.
Oh. Hi. Karen.
It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Gwen.
Nice to meet you, Gwen.
I know we've only spoken over e-mail,
but I feel like I know you guys already.
I absolutely love your blog, Karen.
I think what you're doing is amazing.
- Oh, thanks.
- That's so nice.
Um, I brought the paperwork.
That's for you guys.
I also brought a little something for Emma.
Well, that's so sweet. Thank you.
Yeah, sure. Of course.
So can I meet her?
- Sure.
- Well, no, actually,
uh, we promised her that she could have
some time drawing after the car ride.
- Oh, we did.
- It was a long ride.
I have a schedule.
Oh, hello.
Hello.
Are you Emma?
I'm Gwen.
I've heard a lot about you, Emma,
that you're very smart
and enjoy reading and drawing.
And, honey, you have a little
bit of crayon on your face.
- Um, no, she...
- Actually, she really doesn't like...
Would you like to get it?
Good as new.
Emma, you're so talented...
and prolific.
Which one's your favorite?
Amazing.
Is that your house?
And those trees, those are beautiful trees.
And who's that?
That's me.
All alone?
Show me another one.
Beautiful.
Oh, yes.
Nice.
She's not what I expected.
No.
No, she's not what I expected either,
but she's perfect.
I've never seen Emma
take to anyone so quickly.
She's a child.
Yeah, but the agency sent us everything,
you know, references,
degree in child psychology,
and she has experience with
kids on the spectrum, so...
Did they also send her modeling portfolio?
They did, but I burnt those pictures.
You know me.
Come on, Karen. I was hiring a nanny,
not ordering a Russian bride.
Yes.
Just try it for a couple of days.
If you really don't like
her, we'll send her home.
We'll just say it didn't work out.
Besides, think about all
the free time you'll have.
Free time?
What do you do with free time?
Well...
getting into a hot tub like that
is gonna take a certain amount of practice
and commitment to practice.
Hey, can you start dinner?
Because Dr. Gardner said
that it'd be really great
if I can get Emma down to the lake today.
- Really?
- Yeah.
She's gonna freak out.
No, I'm gonna take things slow.
Besides, what other option is
there if we're gonna stay here,
lock her in her room?
Yeah, let's not do that.
That's how I plan to deal with her dating.
Hey.
Thanks.
Do you wanna walk down
to the end of the dock?
No.
Okay. Well, we'll sit right here.
Why are you so afraid of the water?
Greetings, ladies.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Beautiful as you.
Um, you know, I think this is our dock.
We're staying at the...
Oh, the Morgan place.
Yeah, I saw you pull up.
And you?
Oh, I'm just down the shore.
And what's your name there, little one?
- Emma.
- Emma.
Pleased to meet you, Emma. I'm Harry.
How do you like my lake?
It's a good lake. It's calm and still,
and it's filled with all kinds of stuff.
Bad stuff.
Ah, good stuff, too,
like birds, fish,
and wild animals just like you.
And if you listen real close...
you can hear things, too.
Go ahead. Listen.
There's a fish.
He's talking to me.
What's he saying?
He wants to play.
If you like fish, I have
an aquarium at my house.
You can come and look at it if you want.
Okay, we need to go.
Come on, baby.
Come on, darling.
It was nice to meet you.
Bye-bye, Emma.
Keep listening.
Come on.
Yes. Yes.
On your left, you son of a bitch.
Yes.
Wait.
Wait. Wait!
Crap.
Fuck.
Emma, you left one of your drawings out!
- Emma... Shit!
- Scott!
- I leave the door open?
- I'm so sorry.
- I'm so sorry.
- How embarrassing.
Where's Emma?
Um, your wife put her to bed.
- In our room?
- Yeah.
Right. Okay. I'm so sorry.
It's fine.
Look, the lock is, uh...
Um, yeah. Thanks.
Bye.
- Shh.
- Shit.
What are you doing?
Can you carry Emma from
our bed into her bed?
- Yeah.
- My back is killing me.
Gwen's just changing right now.
- She is?
- Yeah.
Doesn't matter.
Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Did your parents ever mention some, like,
really creepy guy that lives down the lake?
What?
No, I don't think so.
Why?
'Cause this, like, really, really weird guy
came up to us today.
He asked Emma if she wanted
to visit his aquarium.
It was really weird.
- You're shitting me.
- No.
That's so creepy.
I'll ask my mom, okay?
Okay.
Wait. Were you... Are
you... Were you smoking?
Yeah, I had a cigarette.
- In the house?
- No, of course not.
On the patio, but it
must have just come in...
What the hell?
Hey, Scott...
did it rain last night?
My God, what time is it?
Now.
It's coming in under the door.
I don't know.
Morning.
Uh, is Emma out here?
Isn't she with you?
No.
What?
- Emma.
- Emma.
Emms!
Emms!
Emma?
Ah, great start.
Emma.
Emma.
God, I can't believe this. This is her job,
and she can't even keep track of Emma.
Oh, give the girl a break.
It's her first day. She's
exhausted from the dri...
It's not her fault Emma's a sleepwalker.
No, she's past sleepwalking.
Well, she's obviously not past it.
New room, new house gonna kick things up.
Okay, fine. If she's
sleepwalking where is she?
I don't know! Did you check the dryer?
I checked every room.
Okay, you know what?
I'm gonna check outside.
No point looking outside.
She knows she's not allowed...
Scott! Karen!
What?
Oh.
You had me so worried.
Too bright.
Pancakes, anyone?
Okay, breakfast is at 8:00,
and then cleanup and prepare for the day.
Uh, she has an hour of free play,
and then I read her a story.
Uh, you know, preferably something short.
Yeah. She likes fairy tales. Right, Emms?
And then after lunch,
uh, I have this math book.
It's hard to get her to do any of it.
So she does one page,
and she gets a sticker.
Three stickers, and she
gets a half-hour of TV.
Okay. They actually
don't use these anymore.
These days, maths is more
about logic and problem solving.
They're even teaching
10-year-olds algebra.
Huh. That book's
for 10-year-olds.
It's okay. I brought some
stuff with me. We'll be fine.
I'll take a look at it after lunch.
Hmm.
Okay, for physical activity,
we have some sand toys and balls.
Um, she's a great artist, but I don't...
I don't want her drawing all... all day.
Is swimming still out?
Yeah. She really doesn't like water,
so she can't even take a bath.
We... We wash her hair in the sink.
Okay. We'll work on that.
All right, let's stop talking. Let's eat.
Thanks.
Can you move that for me, honey?
- Thanks.
- There you go.
- Wow.
- And Emma.
Here's your one without the sauce.
Bon apptit.
Bon apptit.
Oh, my God.
Scott, this is delicious.
Thank you.
Are you a chef?
No. I'm just in I.T.
Yeah, but he was a chef...
before.
Before what?
Before me.
Oh, right.
Oh, she had a baby?
No, well...
We haven't spoken in some...
That's nice.
No, we love it here, Mom. We love it,
and just, uh...
couldn't take that bird
off the wall, could I?
No, it's just that Karen really hates it.
No, I'm in the closet.
You got my baby clothes?
You kidding me?
Well, what are you gonna do with 'em?
No, I can't...
Christmas plates, blankets,
pillows. "So move some stuff."
I'm moving some stuff. I...
Oh!
Oh, yes. No, I found it. Thanks, Mom.
"Corinne has X cookies.
Now Billy has nine fewer
cookies than Corrinne."
So give me the expression that would show
how many cookies Billy would have.
Emma.
Emma, are you listening?
I don't care.
Now, Emma, if you don't do this,
you don't get a sticker.
- Yes, I do.
- No, Emma.
Yes, I do.
No sticker, no TV. Those are the rules.
I hate the rules.
I hate the rules, too.
Emma, I know you don't want to do this,
but you've done things you
don't want to do before, right,
'cause Mummy or Daddy asked you to?
And even though you didn't want to,
you still did it, and
you still got a sticker,
so let's see if we can
try that this time, okay?
Now...
"Corinne has X cookies.
Now Billy has nine fewer
cookies than Corrinne."
So give me the expression
that would show...
X minus 9.
That's my girl.
X minus 9.
Hey, Karen.
Check this out.
Oh, my God.
Oh, this one.
Oh, my God. These must be 10 years old.
They're all from 10 years ago.
I found them in the closet.
I was on the phone with my mom and...
And look... Wait. Look at you.
- Look at you.
- Look at you.
Hey, that's a nice one.
Look at that. Oh, that's so nice.
Oh.
God, and this room hasn't
changed in 10 years.
No.
Do you remember this pool table?
Your mother has not looked
at me the same way since.
Well, she's not looked at
your face the same way since,
but she's been checking out
your ass for the last 10 years.
And it was a pretty good ass.
- Wait. "It was"?
- It is...
- "It was"?
- a pretty good ass.
- What am I talking about?
- What are you talking about?
- Here.
- Mmm.
- Right?
- Oh, yes.
Remind me.
Ow!
Shit.
Think that happened last time, too.
Yeah, but you look so cute.
Cute i-in pain?
- I look cute...
- A little bit.
Hey, they're right upstairs.
It's okay. They don't play pool.
It's okay.
I'll be quick, and you won't feel a thing.
- What else is new?
- Thanks.
Mommy, where are the stickers?!
I'm coming.
I have to go.
Rain check.
You know it never rains here, Karen.
Did I miss my chance?
You missed your chance. That's it.
I missed it.
And she wouldn't let me
in her room this morning.
- She's a strange one.
- Hmm.
She absolutely refuses my help.
I can't say that I blame her.
There's something about her
that completely baffles me.
Now what's the matter with you?
What's going on around here?
What's the matter with you?
That man's after me.
You gotta stop him. He's after me again.
- I'm gettin' out of here.
- I can't let you go!
I don't wanna be left alone!
No.
Shall I just come in?
I believe I'll have you
deliver the dress, if you don't mind.
I did say I'd take it.
Emma?
Emma, baby...
Emma.
No fever.
And you're sure you don't hurt anywhere,
like in your tummy?
Emma, does your stomach hurt?
No.
Okay, well, you had a bit of a scare,
but you're all right.
And today, Emms, you...
you can do whatever you want.
Can I play with Gwen?
Yes, of course.
Can I have ice cream?
Oh, I don't know.
That's a fight you're gonna
have to have with your Mom.
Can I go to the water?
Yeah. Uh...
No.
She can't go outside until we figure out
what happened last night.
But Daddy just said I could.
Emma, can you tell me
what you did last night?
I woke up, and I went out there.
I went to the window.
Were you asleep?
Why did you go to the window?
I could hear my friend calling for me.
He wants to play.
What friend?
Emma...
The Fish Man.
I'm gonna take her to Dr. Gardner.
Are you serious? He's,
like, two hours away.
No, no, if we leave now,
I'll be back before dinner.
Stop it, Karen. Please, for God sakes,
you can't go to Gardner...
Were you even listening? Did you even...
She has an imaginary friend, Karen,
an imaginary friend.
It's not the first time.
There was Susan the princess
and... and Jamie the pirate and now...
Something is wrong with her.
No, there's nothing wrong with
her, Karen. She's autistic.
She's autistic, and she has night terrors,
and this is the package,
and it cannot be fixed,
and every time you go to
Gardner, you make it worse.
You didn't see the way she looked at me
and the way she screamed.
Well, you shouldn't have touched her face.
Why can't you let her be okay?
She wants to go to the water.
Hurry up!
Okay!
Ohh! It's really cold.
You like it out here, Emma?
Hey, Scott.
Scott!
Hey.
Hey, Gwen, please, next time,
- don't forget the preserver.
- Oh, sure.
Otherwise, Karen's gonna freak, okay?
I'm so sorry.
Hey, Emms, baby,
Daddy's not touching you.
Just put your hands through, okay?
There's a good girl.
Great.
Scott.
Hey, you wanna play?
Sure.
Um, you'll be okay, Emma?
She'll be fine.
Okay.
Gotta throw this a distance...
How... How did we do on the,
um, organic shampoo post?
Wait. We got how many hits on that?
Oh, wow.
All right. Show me what you got, Scott.
All right.
Nice.
Come on.
Hey, pretty good.
Hang on.
Does that help?
Oh.
- Ow!
- You okay?
Hey.
No. I mean, we're having a blast.
Yeah. It's fantastic.
Um, listen.
How 'bout...
Wait. Jan?
Hello?
- Just a little...
- What do we have here?
A bite?
Yeah. It's fine.
Hey there, pretty lady.
Hello.
You still listening to that fish?
He's my friend.
Fish make great friends.
They really do.
Okay, yeah, children's sleepwalking.
I gotta call you back.
You know, I have a bunch of fish
in an aquarium back at my house.
Want to come see it?
Yes?
Come on.
Get away from her!
Oh, hello.
Don't touch her.
We were just talking.
I don't care what you were doing.
I don't want you anywhere near my daughter.
Hey, Karen. What's going on?
I don't know... Where were you?
We were right there. We've
been watching the whole time.
Okay, baby, listen.
You can't talk to strangers, okay?
But he was taking me to the fish.
All right, another time.
I'm sorry.
Emma...
Don't touch her!
Karen, for God sakes.
- Hey, I'm really sorry.
- It's okay. Not a problem.
I'm sorry, sir.
Okay, back to the house. Come on.
Fun's over. Now.
- You okay, Emma?
- Now.
What the hell was that?
What?
You, out there.
You were acting like a crazy person.
Oh, I was protecting my daughter.
Oh, really? From who?
From that guy.
From that old, creepy hippie weirdo.
Oh, I'm sorry. Was he looking at her again?
Fuck you.
Some random guy
walks up to your daughter
in broad daylight,
and you just... you
just let him talk to her?
As you mentioned, he's not
some random fucking guy,
'cause you met him before,
and all he was doing was talking to her
in broad fucking daylight, Karen.
I can't... I can't beli...
He wasn't doing anything.
You weren't there!
My Mummy and Daddy used
to fight all the time.
You can cover your ears if you want.
I'm okay.
Rinse.
You just have to remember
that they're talking about
Mummy and Daddy stuff.
They're not fighting about you.
Yes, they are.
They wish I was normal.
No, no. That's not true.
Who told you that?
The Fish Man.
Rinse.
Oh, God.
I'm sorry.
I know you told me about him,
and he just didn't seem that...
Look, Karen, Emma's not a baby anymore.
You know, she's independent and...
She is 10.
She's 10, but she's a smart kid,
and she knows not to
walk off with strangers.
We don't know what's going
on in her head half the time.
- Karen...
- We need to go home.
Why?
- Just the water and the...
- Karen.
the sleepwalking, and now this fucking guy.
This fucking guy has
nothing to do with anything.
You know, it's funny, 'cause Gwen said...
Okay, I don't... I don't
want to hear about Gwen.
You know, my parents are tired
of the upkeep of this place.
They'd sell it to us.
Shit, they'd give it to us in a heartbeat,
and...
schools are better.
Cost of living is cheaper.
I was looking at some property.
There's a vacant lot down there.
If we sell our place in the Valley...
I...
I hate my job, Karen.
I hate it.
I'm not saying I'm not good at it, but...
And I love this place.
I was thinking I could
open a restaurant and...
Just we used to have so much fun.
We used to be fun, and...
I think this place is our chance for us.
What are you talking about, Scott?
"In the beginning,
Beauty was frightened of the Beast,
but soon she learned
that despite the
creature's awful appearance,
he was in fact a good and caring monster
and would do anything
to protect her, so..."
This story's dumb.
Yeah, it doesn't make that much sense,
but at least in this version,
you don't have to worry about
someone breaking into song.
Okay.
You know what?
Why don't you tell me a story?
About what?
I don't know. Uh...
you could tell me about the Fish Man.
The Fish Man is my friend.
Is that right?
And...
what does he do, the... the Fish Man?
He swims, and he lives in the lake,
and he protects me.
Oh, that's nice.
That's real nice, huh?
Why did he come here?
He's always been here.
Do you think he wants to
split the mortgage with Daddy?
Okay, Emms,
I think it's time for bed.
But the Fish Man wants to play.
Why does he want to play with you, Emms?
Because he's lonely.
Okay.
Snuggle down.
Come on.
Good night, angel.
Sweet dreams.
Let's go home.
Tomorrow, I'll take us home.
Okay?
Hey there, pretty lady.
Mm.
Oh.
- Hey.
- Hey.
You look so cute.
I'm gonna make coffee.
Okay.
Oh, yes.
Yes.
No.
No, where are you going?
Emma, it's too early for TV.
Could you tell me what
that big structure is
back a few miles by the lake?
Oh, you mean the old bathhouse.
Heh. Yeah, that used to be a
pretty ritzy place in the old days.
Then the lake went down,
and they made a dance hall out of it.
They put those buildings up out there
and made some sort of a
carnival there for a while.
Emma!
Scott!
When did you last see her?
Um, Scott put her to bed around...
9:00.
9:00 or 10:00.
Which is it?
10:00.
But then when I woke
up at 7:00 this morning,
she was gone, and...
yesterday she said
that she wanted to go
into the water, but...
but she doesn't even know how to swim.
She doesn't like the water.
Well, this is not as dire
as you might think.
We have a lot of cases where...
T-There's a man.
Okay?
We met him a few days ago,
and then yesterday he came by,
and he... he wanted to talk to Emma.
Okay, we shouldn't jump to...
Listen to her, please.
Okay.
Okay, he said that he...
he said that he lived down the lake,
and then he wanted to talk to her
- about the... the fish.
- And the water.
Yeah, and he said that he wanted...
he wanted to have her, like, listen.
And he... And he asked
to take her to his house.
All right, here are the facts.
90%, she's gonna stroll back
within the next three hours.
She went for a walk,
she lost track of time, and she's sorry.
No, she's 10,
and she's autistic.
All right, well, 5%, she got lost.
Maybe she twisted her ankle and she's
holed up somewhere just
waiting to be found,
so let's start looking for her.
With that door being open,
she's most likely on
this side of the house,
so, Mick, you and Karen,
you know, go check the shore.
Scott, through the front, check the woods.
Gwen, you stay back. She comes back,
she's gonna want to see a
friendly face. Look, at this point,
there's really nothing to be worried about.
W-What about the other 5%?
Let's not talk about that 5% just yet.
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
No, Harry.
No, but he told them
that he lived in the area.
Sex offender, parolee, criminal history,
check 'em all.
Was that locked?
I... I didn't know it unlocked.
Emma!
Mrs. Morgan,
does your daughter
normally come out this far?
No.
No.
Emma.
Emma!
Did you meet Harry?
You think he may have taken her?
I didn't.
I don't know.
I was supposed to watch over her.
She was my responsibility,
and now she's gone.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
She say anything?
Something that was bothering her?
Where she might go?
No. I mean...
Emma doesn't really communicate like that.
Well, she has to communicate somehow.
I'm sure she'll turn up.
Excuse me.
McKendry.
Got it.
Karen? What's going on?
- What did they find?
- I don't know.
We should sit down for this.
His name's Harold Sander.
In the '80s, he did two
years for child endangerment
and was forced to register with the state.
What?
- Oh, my God.
- No. Karen?
Karen!
He's 65, divorced, no kids,
used to work in town.
He was a fisherman.
Emma's been telling us about him.
The... The Fish Man.
He was her friend. Only...
she has so many imaginary friends.
We didn't know! We...
There's no way you could have known.
We're on our way there now.
- Right.
- We need you stay here.
No, no, no. I'm coming with...
I'm gonna fucking kill that guy.
That's exactly why we need you
to stay here and stay calm.
Let us do our jobs. Stay by the phone.
Take care of your wife.
Don't do anything stupid.
Karen.
Hello.
Hey, Dad.
No.
No, we haven't heard anything.
Well, we're waiting.
Look, if I hear anything, I'll...
No, we're waiting.
Scott!
Scott!
No, I'll call you. Have you heard anything?
No, but look, look, look, look.
Look. I found him.
He's right there.
Look. See? Harold Sander.
And that's his address. Look.
- Okay.
- He's right down the lake.
I'm gonna go there.
Karen, the police said...
No, it's been two hours.
- Hey, I just want you...
- No! You stay here
in case she comes back to the house.
- What... Are you...
- We're gonna get Emma.
Scott, I need you to look at...
We don't have time for this, Gwen.
Are you coming, or are you gonna
stay and play with your little friend?
- Stay here. Wait up.
- Scott, please.
- Not now.
- I need you to look at this!
I don't have time for this right now.
- I think it's important.
- It's just a child's drawing.
It's more than that. She's
trying to tell us something.
- Then what is it?!
- I don't know. Maybe...
Why are you still here?!
I'm trying to help.
Well, you're not!
She doesn't even think
you love her, you know?
The way you fight about her,
you treat her like she's broken.
- I'm her mother!
- Karen!
What the fuck are you doing?
What the hell's going on here?
He wasn't in the house.
And Emma?
No.
We found a lot of blood on the scene.
We're testing it.
We're not even sure if it's hers.
Till we know for sure,
we're gonna keep looking for her.
We'll find her.
Please.
Please.
Emma!
Emma.
Are you... Are you...
Karen!
Scott!
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God.
Emma.
Oh, my God.
Thank you so much, guys.
I'm so sorry, so embarrassed.
Are you sure you don't want
a glass of wine or a beer or...
- No, thanks.
- We're fine.
We're just glad she's home.
- Yeah.
- Just keep an eye on her.
And don't force her to
tell you what happened.
When the time's right, she'll
tell you why she was hiding.
Okay. Thanks again.
Go enjoy your family, Mr. Morgan.
I really appreciate it.
I'm so sorry. Thank you!
Thank you.
See, Mommy and Daddy thought
that something really bad happened to you,
but it... Look, it didn't.
Just this one little scratch.
They're gonna drop by tomorrow,
finalize their reports,
also check that we got the right Emma...
- Okay.
- and not some alien
that looks like Emma,
but is actually a lizard
i-in disguise and is
gonna eat us in our sleep.
You wish.
Wow.
Your hair is getting so long.
Maybe tomorrow I'll take you into town,
get a trim, and then we'll get a pedicure.
How does that sound?
You know, you can tell me anything.
You know, I think I have
a better brush in my room.
I'll be right back.
Emma, are you okay?
Can you talk to me?
Emma.
Who's this?
That's the Fish Man.
But, Emma, who is the Fish Man?
He's my friend.
Is that where you went today?
He's teaching me to breathe underwater.
Honey, people can't breathe underwater.
He says they can.
And when I get really good at it...
he says I can live with him
so we won't be alone,
so me and the Fish Man can be happy.
Emma, that's not true.
What happened today? Were you with Harry?
No.
Did he touch you?
I told you.
I was with the Fish Man.
Emma, listen to me, okay?
The Fish Man isn't real, all right?
I'm real.
You're real.
Mummy and Daddy are real.
The Fish Man isn't real.
Yes, he is!
And stop saying he isn't,
or he'll hurt you...
like he did Harry.
Okay, I'm just tucking in Mr. Tickles.
Good night, Mr. Tickles.
Sleep well.
Sweet dreams.
Hey.
I'm packing. I'm going home.
What? Did I miss something?
Oh, my God. This has been
the most insane day of my life.
The fact I'm still standing is a miracle.
This house is destroying our daughter.
What the fuck are you talking about, Karen?
She's been playing a game all day.
You created this, Karen.
You create... You fabricated this.
We called the police, for Christ's sake,
- and Gwen found her in the hot tub.
- Thank God for Gwen.
Do you think she was in
the hot tub all day long?
Thank God Gwen fucking was
there to fix my mistake!
Did I say that? I don't think I said that.
'Cause I fabricated
something all by myself.
Why don't you have this
conversation all by yourself?
Yeah! Oh, and you decided
that you need a new house
and that Emma needs a new Mommy
and that you need a new girlfriend.
Oh, I can't do this anymore.
You can have this fight with yourself.
I must make you so miserable.
I must be ruining your life so badly.
Karen, do you have to be so
melodramatic about everything?
Can you even hear yourself right now?
I can't! Because you keep interrupting me!
You wanted children as much as I did.
Yes, I did.
So...
what?
I'm leaving,
and I'm taking Emma home.
Okay, fine.
Fine.
But if you leave,
I'm not coming with you, Karen,
'cause I can't.
Why are you in such a hurry
to rush back for, anyw...
What do we have back there? Nothing.
If you leave tonight,
I will lose you,
and you know that.
I can't live like this anymore.
Then tell me.
Please, tell me,
what have I got to do?
I will do anything...
anything to keep us here,
to keep us together.
Prove it.
Gwen.
Scott. Scott.
Is Emma asleep?
Emma's fine, Gwen.
Listen, uh, this isn't easy,
but, uh, Karen and I have been talking.
It's not working out.
- What are you talking about?
- You.
You're not working out.
There's too much disruption
for Emma. I'm sorry...
- Scott, I have done everything...
- You're fired, Gwen.
We want you to leave tomorrow.
I'm sorry.
Scott, fine, fire me, but you know what?
There is something out there.
I don't know what it is,
but you have to get your
daughter out of this house.
This is my house,
and I'm not going anywhere.
I'm sorry, Gwen. I really am.
I'm so sorry.
I don't want to lose you.
I don't want to lose you.
Emma.
Emma, wake up.
Emma.
Emma, get up. I'm leaving.
I'm going.
I'm taking you with me. Get up.
Come on. You...
Your parents don't...
I can't explain now, but we have to leave.
But I'm leaving.
What are you talking about?
I just came back to say good-bye
so Mommy and Daddy wouldn't worry.
What?
I'm going to live with the Fish Man.
Emma, stop it.
Just stop it. You're
coming with me now, okay?
- But the Fish Man...
- Come on.
We're leaving now.
I'm going to live with the Fish Man!
No, you can't. No, you can't.
But he's my friend!
He's not your friend, okay?
He's not your friend.
Listen to me.
Yes, he is!
My God. What was that?
- No?
- No.
Scott!
Oh, my God.
Christ. Gwen.
Gwen, what's going on?
Hello! We need help!
We need an ambulance!
I am at 221 North...
- Oh, my God.
- Hello?
Yes! Yes!
I have an emergency!
There's a girl! She's dying!
She has gashes all over!
I'm at 221 Nor...
Your call cannot be completed as dialed.
Hello?! Shit!
What... What's happened?
- Hold on.
- ...and try your call again.
- H-Hello?!
- We're sorry.
The number you have
reached is not in service.
Please check the number,
or try your call again.
This is a recording. We're sorry.
The number you have reached...
- Emma. Emma!
- is not in service.
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
- Emma!
- Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
So it sounds like you're
not sure about this anymore.
Being a mother,
being married...
my job.
I was talking about the vacation.
Well, it just doesn't sound
like it's gonna be a vacation.
Dumping a whole new routine on Emma,
it's gonna be hard for her.
Or for you.
I'm used to juggling a million things.
What does Emma's doctor say about the trip?
Dr. Gardner thinks it's gonna be great.
- Hmm.
- But then I think about
how hard I've worked to make this home
a safe space for Emma
where she can get better,
and... and I just worry that she's going
somewhere I can't control.
Okay, here's a thought.
Maybe you can use this vacation as a chance
to practice not being in control so much.
You can see what it's like to
really focus on the present,
what happens when you're
actually in the moment.
Okay, how 'bout, like, Ten Places in
Your Child's Bedroom With the Most Germs"?
Emms.
Emma.
Check out the view.
Hey, Jan, can you hear me?
Emma.
What? Hello?
- I lost you.
- Earth to Emma.
Can you slow down a little bit?
I'm not even going the speed limit.
Why don't you get off
the phone for two seconds?
Yeah, sorry. No, the
reception up here is nuts.
Okay, how 'bout a post on...
Hey, Emms, you got something on your cheek.
I know. That's just... That's just
something that's happening, so...
No!
Get away from me.
For God sakes, Karen.
- Shit.
- I'm sorry.
- No.
- Hey, Emma, it's okay.
- It's okay. Mommy didn't mean it.
- No!
- Mommy didn't mean it.
- Get away from me.
I'm gonna have to call you back.
Hey, Emma.
Can you hear me, baby?
Look out the window, kiddo.
Daddy used to come sailing
here and come swimming here.
Look at the water.
I don't like the water.
Did you check out the view?
You were going a lot faster than...
I'm surprised you had time.
You were on the phone so much.
Yeah, I can be on the
phone and see the view.
Yeah?
Hey, Emms, baby.
Hey...
why don't we set up
your coloring station
right here? Sit down, baby.
Here's your favorite pad...
and your coloring pencils. Yay.
That's still creepy.
You know, it still smells
in here, that smell.
Yeah. It grows on you, right?
What is that?
I'm surprised you remember.
It's been a lot of years since then.
You were drunk most of the time.
What's drunk?
Oh, that's something your Mom and Dad
used to do quite a bit,
but now your mother tends to forget,
bit like butterfly tattoos.
What are butterfly tattoos?
Never mind.
Crap. I know what I forgot.
Please say underwear.
Chia.
As in the pet?
As in the seed.
So you can grow a pet?
No, for brain development.
It's got omega-3 fatty acids.
I put them in smoothies for Emma.
- Dr. Gardner said...
- Oh, if Dr. Gardner said it,
then it must be right.
That's why we hired a nanny.
No, that's why you hired a nanny.
I only agreed, because I thought
we needed another adult around here.
So there'd be two of you, right?
What is that?
- What?
- Nothing.
See? Okay, that's my point.
Is that what you're talking about?
That's my point.
Hi!
- Hi.
- Scott?
- Gwen?
- Yeah.
- You're Gwen?
- Yes. Hi.
- Oh, I'm so sorry.
- Nice to meet...
Hi. You're a bit early, right?
- I know.
- Please come in.
Let me take that. Looks real heavy.
- Thanks.
- Oh, my God.
What have you got in here?
This is... I have... It's a month.
This is a beautiful house.
Yeah. It belongs to my folks.
They usually rent it out,
but they're letting us steal it for a bit.
- Wow.
- Please, come...
Karen.
Oh. Hi. Karen.
It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Gwen.
Nice to meet you, Gwen.
I know we've only spoken over e-mail,
but I feel like I know you guys already.
I absolutely love your blog, Karen.
I think what you're doing is amazing.
- Oh, thanks.
- That's so nice.
Um, I brought the paperwork.
That's for you guys.
I also brought a little something for Emma.
Well, that's so sweet. Thank you.
Yeah, sure. Of course.
So can I meet her?
- Sure.
- Well, no, actually,
uh, we promised her that she could have
some time drawing after the car ride.
- Oh, we did.
- It was a long ride.
I have a schedule.
Oh, hello.
Hello.
Are you Emma?
I'm Gwen.
I've heard a lot about you, Emma,
that you're very smart
and enjoy reading and drawing.
And, honey, you have a little
bit of crayon on your face.
- Um, no, she...
- Actually, she really doesn't like...
Would you like to get it?
Good as new.
Emma, you're so talented...
and prolific.
Which one's your favorite?
Amazing.
Is that your house?
And those trees, those are beautiful trees.
And who's that?
That's me.
All alone?
Show me another one.
Beautiful.
Oh, yes.
Nice.
She's not what I expected.
No.
No, she's not what I expected either,
but she's perfect.
I've never seen Emma
take to anyone so quickly.
She's a child.
Yeah, but the agency sent us everything,
you know, references,
degree in child psychology,
and she has experience with
kids on the spectrum, so...
Did they also send her modeling portfolio?
They did, but I burnt those pictures.
You know me.
Come on, Karen. I was hiring a nanny,
not ordering a Russian bride.
Yes.
Just try it for a couple of days.
If you really don't like
her, we'll send her home.
We'll just say it didn't work out.
Besides, think about all
the free time you'll have.
Free time?
What do you do with free time?
Well...
getting into a hot tub like that
is gonna take a certain amount of practice
and commitment to practice.
Hey, can you start dinner?
Because Dr. Gardner said
that it'd be really great
if I can get Emma down to the lake today.
- Really?
- Yeah.
She's gonna freak out.
No, I'm gonna take things slow.
Besides, what other option is
there if we're gonna stay here,
lock her in her room?
Yeah, let's not do that.
That's how I plan to deal with her dating.
Hey.
Thanks.
Do you wanna walk down
to the end of the dock?
No.
Okay. Well, we'll sit right here.
Why are you so afraid of the water?
Greetings, ladies.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Beautiful as you.
Um, you know, I think this is our dock.
We're staying at the...
Oh, the Morgan place.
Yeah, I saw you pull up.
And you?
Oh, I'm just down the shore.
And what's your name there, little one?
- Emma.
- Emma.
Pleased to meet you, Emma. I'm Harry.
How do you like my lake?
It's a good lake. It's calm and still,
and it's filled with all kinds of stuff.
Bad stuff.
Ah, good stuff, too,
like birds, fish,
and wild animals just like you.
And if you listen real close...
you can hear things, too.
Go ahead. Listen.
There's a fish.
He's talking to me.
What's he saying?
He wants to play.
If you like fish, I have
an aquarium at my house.
You can come and look at it if you want.
Okay, we need to go.
Come on, baby.
Come on, darling.
It was nice to meet you.
Bye-bye, Emma.
Keep listening.
Come on.
Yes. Yes.
On your left, you son of a bitch.
Yes.
Wait.
Wait. Wait!
Crap.
Fuck.
Emma, you left one of your drawings out!
- Emma... Shit!
- Scott!
- I leave the door open?
- I'm so sorry.
- I'm so sorry.
- How embarrassing.
Where's Emma?
Um, your wife put her to bed.
- In our room?
- Yeah.
Right. Okay. I'm so sorry.
It's fine.
Look, the lock is, uh...
Um, yeah. Thanks.
Bye.
- Shh.
- Shit.
What are you doing?
Can you carry Emma from
our bed into her bed?
- Yeah.
- My back is killing me.
Gwen's just changing right now.
- She is?
- Yeah.
Doesn't matter.
Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Did your parents ever mention some, like,
really creepy guy that lives down the lake?
What?
No, I don't think so.
Why?
'Cause this, like, really, really weird guy
came up to us today.
He asked Emma if she wanted
to visit his aquarium.
It was really weird.
- You're shitting me.
- No.
That's so creepy.
I'll ask my mom, okay?
Okay.
Wait. Were you... Are
you... Were you smoking?
Yeah, I had a cigarette.
- In the house?
- No, of course not.
On the patio, but it
must have just come in...
What the hell?
Hey, Scott...
did it rain last night?
My God, what time is it?
Now.
It's coming in under the door.
I don't know.
Morning.
Uh, is Emma out here?
Isn't she with you?
No.
What?
- Emma.
- Emma.
Emms!
Emms!
Emma?
Ah, great start.
Emma.
Emma.
God, I can't believe this. This is her job,
and she can't even keep track of Emma.
Oh, give the girl a break.
It's her first day. She's
exhausted from the dri...
It's not her fault Emma's a sleepwalker.
No, she's past sleepwalking.
Well, she's obviously not past it.
New room, new house gonna kick things up.
Okay, fine. If she's
sleepwalking where is she?
I don't know! Did you check the dryer?
I checked every room.
Okay, you know what?
I'm gonna check outside.
No point looking outside.
She knows she's not allowed...
Scott! Karen!
What?
Oh.
You had me so worried.
Too bright.
Pancakes, anyone?
Okay, breakfast is at 8:00,
and then cleanup and prepare for the day.
Uh, she has an hour of free play,
and then I read her a story.
Uh, you know, preferably something short.
Yeah. She likes fairy tales. Right, Emms?
And then after lunch,
uh, I have this math book.
It's hard to get her to do any of it.
So she does one page,
and she gets a sticker.
Three stickers, and she
gets a half-hour of TV.
Okay. They actually
don't use these anymore.
These days, maths is more
about logic and problem solving.
They're even teaching
10-year-olds algebra.
Huh. That book's
for 10-year-olds.
It's okay. I brought some
stuff with me. We'll be fine.
I'll take a look at it after lunch.
Hmm.
Okay, for physical activity,
we have some sand toys and balls.
Um, she's a great artist, but I don't...
I don't want her drawing all... all day.
Is swimming still out?
Yeah. She really doesn't like water,
so she can't even take a bath.
We... We wash her hair in the sink.
Okay. We'll work on that.
All right, let's stop talking. Let's eat.
Thanks.
Can you move that for me, honey?
- Thanks.
- There you go.
- Wow.
- And Emma.
Here's your one without the sauce.
Bon apptit.
Bon apptit.
Oh, my God.
Scott, this is delicious.
Thank you.
Are you a chef?
No. I'm just in I.T.
Yeah, but he was a chef...
before.
Before what?
Before me.
Oh, right.
Oh, she had a baby?
No, well...
We haven't spoken in some...
That's nice.
No, we love it here, Mom. We love it,
and just, uh...
couldn't take that bird
off the wall, could I?
No, it's just that Karen really hates it.
No, I'm in the closet.
You got my baby clothes?
You kidding me?
Well, what are you gonna do with 'em?
No, I can't...
Christmas plates, blankets,
pillows. "So move some stuff."
I'm moving some stuff. I...
Oh!
Oh, yes. No, I found it. Thanks, Mom.
"Corinne has X cookies.
Now Billy has nine fewer
cookies than Corrinne."
So give me the expression that would show
how many cookies Billy would have.
Emma.
Emma, are you listening?
I don't care.
Now, Emma, if you don't do this,
you don't get a sticker.
- Yes, I do.
- No, Emma.
Yes, I do.
No sticker, no TV. Those are the rules.
I hate the rules.
I hate the rules, too.
Emma, I know you don't want to do this,
but you've done things you
don't want to do before, right,
'cause Mummy or Daddy asked you to?
And even though you didn't want to,
you still did it, and
you still got a sticker,
so let's see if we can
try that this time, okay?
Now...
"Corinne has X cookies.
Now Billy has nine fewer
cookies than Corrinne."
So give me the expression
that would show...
X minus 9.
That's my girl.
X minus 9.
Hey, Karen.
Check this out.
Oh, my God.
Oh, this one.
Oh, my God. These must be 10 years old.
They're all from 10 years ago.
I found them in the closet.
I was on the phone with my mom and...
And look... Wait. Look at you.
- Look at you.
- Look at you.
Hey, that's a nice one.
Look at that. Oh, that's so nice.
Oh.
God, and this room hasn't
changed in 10 years.
No.
Do you remember this pool table?
Your mother has not looked
at me the same way since.
Well, she's not looked at
your face the same way since,
but she's been checking out
your ass for the last 10 years.
And it was a pretty good ass.
- Wait. "It was"?
- It is...
- "It was"?
- a pretty good ass.
- What am I talking about?
- What are you talking about?
- Here.
- Mmm.
- Right?
- Oh, yes.
Remind me.
Ow!
Shit.
Think that happened last time, too.
Yeah, but you look so cute.
Cute i-in pain?
- I look cute...
- A little bit.
Hey, they're right upstairs.
It's okay. They don't play pool.
It's okay.
I'll be quick, and you won't feel a thing.
- What else is new?
- Thanks.
Mommy, where are the stickers?!
I'm coming.
I have to go.
Rain check.
You know it never rains here, Karen.
Did I miss my chance?
You missed your chance. That's it.
I missed it.
And she wouldn't let me
in her room this morning.
- She's a strange one.
- Hmm.
She absolutely refuses my help.
I can't say that I blame her.
There's something about her
that completely baffles me.
Now what's the matter with you?
What's going on around here?
What's the matter with you?
That man's after me.
You gotta stop him. He's after me again.
- I'm gettin' out of here.
- I can't let you go!
I don't wanna be left alone!
No.
Shall I just come in?
I believe I'll have you
deliver the dress, if you don't mind.
I did say I'd take it.
Emma?
Emma, baby...
Emma.
No fever.
And you're sure you don't hurt anywhere,
like in your tummy?
Emma, does your stomach hurt?
No.
Okay, well, you had a bit of a scare,
but you're all right.
And today, Emms, you...
you can do whatever you want.
Can I play with Gwen?
Yes, of course.
Can I have ice cream?
Oh, I don't know.
That's a fight you're gonna
have to have with your Mom.
Can I go to the water?
Yeah. Uh...
No.
She can't go outside until we figure out
what happened last night.
But Daddy just said I could.
Emma, can you tell me
what you did last night?
I woke up, and I went out there.
I went to the window.
Were you asleep?
Why did you go to the window?
I could hear my friend calling for me.
He wants to play.
What friend?
Emma...
The Fish Man.
I'm gonna take her to Dr. Gardner.
Are you serious? He's,
like, two hours away.
No, no, if we leave now,
I'll be back before dinner.
Stop it, Karen. Please, for God sakes,
you can't go to Gardner...
Were you even listening? Did you even...
She has an imaginary friend, Karen,
an imaginary friend.
It's not the first time.
There was Susan the princess
and... and Jamie the pirate and now...
Something is wrong with her.
No, there's nothing wrong with
her, Karen. She's autistic.
She's autistic, and she has night terrors,
and this is the package,
and it cannot be fixed,
and every time you go to
Gardner, you make it worse.
You didn't see the way she looked at me
and the way she screamed.
Well, you shouldn't have touched her face.
Why can't you let her be okay?
She wants to go to the water.
Hurry up!
Okay!
Ohh! It's really cold.
You like it out here, Emma?
Hey, Scott.
Scott!
Hey.
Hey, Gwen, please, next time,
- don't forget the preserver.
- Oh, sure.
Otherwise, Karen's gonna freak, okay?
I'm so sorry.
Hey, Emms, baby,
Daddy's not touching you.
Just put your hands through, okay?
There's a good girl.
Great.
Scott.
Hey, you wanna play?
Sure.
Um, you'll be okay, Emma?
She'll be fine.
Okay.
Gotta throw this a distance...
How... How did we do on the,
um, organic shampoo post?
Wait. We got how many hits on that?
Oh, wow.
All right. Show me what you got, Scott.
All right.
Nice.
Come on.
Hey, pretty good.
Hang on.
Does that help?
Oh.
- Ow!
- You okay?
Hey.
No. I mean, we're having a blast.
Yeah. It's fantastic.
Um, listen.
How 'bout...
Wait. Jan?
Hello?
- Just a little...
- What do we have here?
A bite?
Yeah. It's fine.
Hey there, pretty lady.
Hello.
You still listening to that fish?
He's my friend.
Fish make great friends.
They really do.
Okay, yeah, children's sleepwalking.
I gotta call you back.
You know, I have a bunch of fish
in an aquarium back at my house.
Want to come see it?
Yes?
Come on.
Get away from her!
Oh, hello.
Don't touch her.
We were just talking.
I don't care what you were doing.
I don't want you anywhere near my daughter.
Hey, Karen. What's going on?
I don't know... Where were you?
We were right there. We've
been watching the whole time.
Okay, baby, listen.
You can't talk to strangers, okay?
But he was taking me to the fish.
All right, another time.
I'm sorry.
Emma...
Don't touch her!
Karen, for God sakes.
- Hey, I'm really sorry.
- It's okay. Not a problem.
I'm sorry, sir.
Okay, back to the house. Come on.
Fun's over. Now.
- You okay, Emma?
- Now.
What the hell was that?
What?
You, out there.
You were acting like a crazy person.
Oh, I was protecting my daughter.
Oh, really? From who?
From that guy.
From that old, creepy hippie weirdo.
Oh, I'm sorry. Was he looking at her again?
Fuck you.
Some random guy
walks up to your daughter
in broad daylight,
and you just... you
just let him talk to her?
As you mentioned, he's not
some random fucking guy,
'cause you met him before,
and all he was doing was talking to her
in broad fucking daylight, Karen.
I can't... I can't beli...
He wasn't doing anything.
You weren't there!
My Mummy and Daddy used
to fight all the time.
You can cover your ears if you want.
I'm okay.
Rinse.
You just have to remember
that they're talking about
Mummy and Daddy stuff.
They're not fighting about you.
Yes, they are.
They wish I was normal.
No, no. That's not true.
Who told you that?
The Fish Man.
Rinse.
Oh, God.
I'm sorry.
I know you told me about him,
and he just didn't seem that...
Look, Karen, Emma's not a baby anymore.
You know, she's independent and...
She is 10.
She's 10, but she's a smart kid,
and she knows not to
walk off with strangers.
We don't know what's going
on in her head half the time.
- Karen...
- We need to go home.
Why?
- Just the water and the...
- Karen.
the sleepwalking, and now this fucking guy.
This fucking guy has
nothing to do with anything.
You know, it's funny, 'cause Gwen said...
Okay, I don't... I don't
want to hear about Gwen.
You know, my parents are tired
of the upkeep of this place.
They'd sell it to us.
Shit, they'd give it to us in a heartbeat,
and...
schools are better.
Cost of living is cheaper.
I was looking at some property.
There's a vacant lot down there.
If we sell our place in the Valley...
I...
I hate my job, Karen.
I hate it.
I'm not saying I'm not good at it, but...
And I love this place.
I was thinking I could
open a restaurant and...
Just we used to have so much fun.
We used to be fun, and...
I think this place is our chance for us.
What are you talking about, Scott?
"In the beginning,
Beauty was frightened of the Beast,
but soon she learned
that despite the
creature's awful appearance,
he was in fact a good and caring monster
and would do anything
to protect her, so..."
This story's dumb.
Yeah, it doesn't make that much sense,
but at least in this version,
you don't have to worry about
someone breaking into song.
Okay.
You know what?
Why don't you tell me a story?
About what?
I don't know. Uh...
you could tell me about the Fish Man.
The Fish Man is my friend.
Is that right?
And...
what does he do, the... the Fish Man?
He swims, and he lives in the lake,
and he protects me.
Oh, that's nice.
That's real nice, huh?
Why did he come here?
He's always been here.
Do you think he wants to
split the mortgage with Daddy?
Okay, Emms,
I think it's time for bed.
But the Fish Man wants to play.
Why does he want to play with you, Emms?
Because he's lonely.
Okay.
Snuggle down.
Come on.
Good night, angel.
Sweet dreams.
Let's go home.
Tomorrow, I'll take us home.
Okay?
Hey there, pretty lady.
Mm.
Oh.
- Hey.
- Hey.
You look so cute.
I'm gonna make coffee.
Okay.
Oh, yes.
Yes.
No.
No, where are you going?
Emma, it's too early for TV.
Could you tell me what
that big structure is
back a few miles by the lake?
Oh, you mean the old bathhouse.
Heh. Yeah, that used to be a
pretty ritzy place in the old days.
Then the lake went down,
and they made a dance hall out of it.
They put those buildings up out there
and made some sort of a
carnival there for a while.
Emma!
Scott!
When did you last see her?
Um, Scott put her to bed around...
9:00.
9:00 or 10:00.
Which is it?
10:00.
But then when I woke
up at 7:00 this morning,
she was gone, and...
yesterday she said
that she wanted to go
into the water, but...
but she doesn't even know how to swim.
She doesn't like the water.
Well, this is not as dire
as you might think.
We have a lot of cases where...
T-There's a man.
Okay?
We met him a few days ago,
and then yesterday he came by,
and he... he wanted to talk to Emma.
Okay, we shouldn't jump to...
Listen to her, please.
Okay.
Okay, he said that he...
he said that he lived down the lake,
and then he wanted to talk to her
- about the... the fish.
- And the water.
Yeah, and he said that he wanted...
he wanted to have her, like, listen.
And he... And he asked
to take her to his house.
All right, here are the facts.
90%, she's gonna stroll back
within the next three hours.
She went for a walk,
she lost track of time, and she's sorry.
No, she's 10,
and she's autistic.
All right, well, 5%, she got lost.
Maybe she twisted her ankle and she's
holed up somewhere just
waiting to be found,
so let's start looking for her.
With that door being open,
she's most likely on
this side of the house,
so, Mick, you and Karen,
you know, go check the shore.
Scott, through the front, check the woods.
Gwen, you stay back. She comes back,
she's gonna want to see a
friendly face. Look, at this point,
there's really nothing to be worried about.
W-What about the other 5%?
Let's not talk about that 5% just yet.
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
No, Harry.
No, but he told them
that he lived in the area.
Sex offender, parolee, criminal history,
check 'em all.
Was that locked?
I... I didn't know it unlocked.
Emma!
Mrs. Morgan,
does your daughter
normally come out this far?
No.
No.
Emma.
Emma!
Did you meet Harry?
You think he may have taken her?
I didn't.
I don't know.
I was supposed to watch over her.
She was my responsibility,
and now she's gone.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
She say anything?
Something that was bothering her?
Where she might go?
No. I mean...
Emma doesn't really communicate like that.
Well, she has to communicate somehow.
I'm sure she'll turn up.
Excuse me.
McKendry.
Got it.
Karen? What's going on?
- What did they find?
- I don't know.
We should sit down for this.
His name's Harold Sander.
In the '80s, he did two
years for child endangerment
and was forced to register with the state.
What?
- Oh, my God.
- No. Karen?
Karen!
He's 65, divorced, no kids,
used to work in town.
He was a fisherman.
Emma's been telling us about him.
The... The Fish Man.
He was her friend. Only...
she has so many imaginary friends.
We didn't know! We...
There's no way you could have known.
We're on our way there now.
- Right.
- We need you stay here.
No, no, no. I'm coming with...
I'm gonna fucking kill that guy.
That's exactly why we need you
to stay here and stay calm.
Let us do our jobs. Stay by the phone.
Take care of your wife.
Don't do anything stupid.
Karen.
Hello.
Hey, Dad.
No.
No, we haven't heard anything.
Well, we're waiting.
Look, if I hear anything, I'll...
No, we're waiting.
Scott!
Scott!
No, I'll call you. Have you heard anything?
No, but look, look, look, look.
Look. I found him.
He's right there.
Look. See? Harold Sander.
And that's his address. Look.
- Okay.
- He's right down the lake.
I'm gonna go there.
Karen, the police said...
No, it's been two hours.
- Hey, I just want you...
- No! You stay here
in case she comes back to the house.
- What... Are you...
- We're gonna get Emma.
Scott, I need you to look at...
We don't have time for this, Gwen.
Are you coming, or are you gonna
stay and play with your little friend?
- Stay here. Wait up.
- Scott, please.
- Not now.
- I need you to look at this!
I don't have time for this right now.
- I think it's important.
- It's just a child's drawing.
It's more than that. She's
trying to tell us something.
- Then what is it?!
- I don't know. Maybe...
Why are you still here?!
I'm trying to help.
Well, you're not!
She doesn't even think
you love her, you know?
The way you fight about her,
you treat her like she's broken.
- I'm her mother!
- Karen!
What the fuck are you doing?
What the hell's going on here?
He wasn't in the house.
And Emma?
No.
We found a lot of blood on the scene.
We're testing it.
We're not even sure if it's hers.
Till we know for sure,
we're gonna keep looking for her.
We'll find her.
Please.
Please.
Emma!
Emma.
Are you... Are you...
Karen!
Scott!
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God.
Emma.
Oh, my God.
Thank you so much, guys.
I'm so sorry, so embarrassed.
Are you sure you don't want
a glass of wine or a beer or...
- No, thanks.
- We're fine.
We're just glad she's home.
- Yeah.
- Just keep an eye on her.
And don't force her to
tell you what happened.
When the time's right, she'll
tell you why she was hiding.
Okay. Thanks again.
Go enjoy your family, Mr. Morgan.
I really appreciate it.
I'm so sorry. Thank you!
Thank you.
See, Mommy and Daddy thought
that something really bad happened to you,
but it... Look, it didn't.
Just this one little scratch.
They're gonna drop by tomorrow,
finalize their reports,
also check that we got the right Emma...
- Okay.
- and not some alien
that looks like Emma,
but is actually a lizard
i-in disguise and is
gonna eat us in our sleep.
You wish.
Wow.
Your hair is getting so long.
Maybe tomorrow I'll take you into town,
get a trim, and then we'll get a pedicure.
How does that sound?
You know, you can tell me anything.
You know, I think I have
a better brush in my room.
I'll be right back.
Emma, are you okay?
Can you talk to me?
Emma.
Who's this?
That's the Fish Man.
But, Emma, who is the Fish Man?
He's my friend.
Is that where you went today?
He's teaching me to breathe underwater.
Honey, people can't breathe underwater.
He says they can.
And when I get really good at it...
he says I can live with him
so we won't be alone,
so me and the Fish Man can be happy.
Emma, that's not true.
What happened today? Were you with Harry?
No.
Did he touch you?
I told you.
I was with the Fish Man.
Emma, listen to me, okay?
The Fish Man isn't real, all right?
I'm real.
You're real.
Mummy and Daddy are real.
The Fish Man isn't real.
Yes, he is!
And stop saying he isn't,
or he'll hurt you...
like he did Harry.
Okay, I'm just tucking in Mr. Tickles.
Good night, Mr. Tickles.
Sleep well.
Sweet dreams.
Hey.
I'm packing. I'm going home.
What? Did I miss something?
Oh, my God. This has been
the most insane day of my life.
The fact I'm still standing is a miracle.
This house is destroying our daughter.
What the fuck are you talking about, Karen?
She's been playing a game all day.
You created this, Karen.
You create... You fabricated this.
We called the police, for Christ's sake,
- and Gwen found her in the hot tub.
- Thank God for Gwen.
Do you think she was in
the hot tub all day long?
Thank God Gwen fucking was
there to fix my mistake!
Did I say that? I don't think I said that.
'Cause I fabricated
something all by myself.
Why don't you have this
conversation all by yourself?
Yeah! Oh, and you decided
that you need a new house
and that Emma needs a new Mommy
and that you need a new girlfriend.
Oh, I can't do this anymore.
You can have this fight with yourself.
I must make you so miserable.
I must be ruining your life so badly.
Karen, do you have to be so
melodramatic about everything?
Can you even hear yourself right now?
I can't! Because you keep interrupting me!
You wanted children as much as I did.
Yes, I did.
So...
what?
I'm leaving,
and I'm taking Emma home.
Okay, fine.
Fine.
But if you leave,
I'm not coming with you, Karen,
'cause I can't.
Why are you in such a hurry
to rush back for, anyw...
What do we have back there? Nothing.
If you leave tonight,
I will lose you,
and you know that.
I can't live like this anymore.
Then tell me.
Please, tell me,
what have I got to do?
I will do anything...
anything to keep us here,
to keep us together.
Prove it.
Gwen.
Scott. Scott.
Is Emma asleep?
Emma's fine, Gwen.
Listen, uh, this isn't easy,
but, uh, Karen and I have been talking.
It's not working out.
- What are you talking about?
- You.
You're not working out.
There's too much disruption
for Emma. I'm sorry...
- Scott, I have done everything...
- You're fired, Gwen.
We want you to leave tomorrow.
I'm sorry.
Scott, fine, fire me, but you know what?
There is something out there.
I don't know what it is,
but you have to get your
daughter out of this house.
This is my house,
and I'm not going anywhere.
I'm sorry, Gwen. I really am.
I'm so sorry.
I don't want to lose you.
I don't want to lose you.
Emma.
Emma, wake up.
Emma.
Emma, get up. I'm leaving.
I'm going.
I'm taking you with me. Get up.
Come on. You...
Your parents don't...
I can't explain now, but we have to leave.
But I'm leaving.
What are you talking about?
I just came back to say good-bye
so Mommy and Daddy wouldn't worry.
What?
I'm going to live with the Fish Man.
Emma, stop it.
Just stop it. You're
coming with me now, okay?
- But the Fish Man...
- Come on.
We're leaving now.
I'm going to live with the Fish Man!
No, you can't. No, you can't.
But he's my friend!
He's not your friend, okay?
He's not your friend.
Listen to me.
Yes, he is!
My God. What was that?
- No?
- No.
Scott!
Oh, my God.
Christ. Gwen.
Gwen, what's going on?
Hello! We need help!
We need an ambulance!
I am at 221 North...
- Oh, my God.
- Hello?
Yes! Yes!
I have an emergency!
There's a girl! She's dying!
She has gashes all over!
I'm at 221 Nor...
Your call cannot be completed as dialed.
Hello?! Shit!
What... What's happened?
- Hold on.
- ...and try your call again.
- H-Hello?!
- We're sorry.
The number you have
reached is not in service.
Please check the number,
or try your call again.
This is a recording. We're sorry.
The number you have reached...
- Emma. Emma!
- is not in service.
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
- Emma!
- Emma!
Emma!
Emma!
Emma!