Would you like me to tell you a story?
Hmm?
What, a Bobo and Jojo story?
Uh, no, I was not planning on telling you a story
about the enduring characters of Bobo and Jojo,
but you could mention their names
with a little bit of respect.
I mean, you might be too old for them now,
but there was a time when you were insatiable
for a good Bobo and Jojo story.
Well, I am sated.
Well, that's fine, because it's not about them.
This is... is a new story.
A new story about a young girl...
Don't make it about me.
I am not making it about you.
It's about a young girl...
fox named "Jamie."
Dad. What?
That's the girl from the mountain book,
I told you.
Okay, this is about a... this is a... this is the story
about a young girl fox named...
Goldy.
And she had a husband, because she was a grown-up fox
and her husband's name was, uh...
was Art,
and they were grown-ups,
so they lived together in a little hole.
And... Their foxhole.
And Art was kind of a tinkerer, a scientist, an inventor,
a futzer and fiddler,
and he liked everything to be very clean and neat in the hole.
He was very fastidious about this and that little thing.
And, uh, he liked quiet time in the hole.
And so... And Goldy was very...
you know, very tough and outdoorsy.
So it was very, very different...
Dad, I said don't make it about me.
I'm not making it about you. It's about a fox named Goldy.
Well, I'm tough and outdoorsy.
You say that all the time.
Okay. So what?
So this is about a fox, named Goldy, in a foxhole.
That's not you.
So, one day, Art took one of his inventions.
It was a weather-predicting machine,
and he took it up to... on top of a mountain.
And he was up there,
and he was kind of messing around with it.
He was trying to predict the weather.
And he saw these big storm clouds on the horizon,
and the meters on his... on his little machine
were going crazy.
Uh, he wasn't sure if they were accurate or not
and he started looking at the clouds on the horizon,
and... and he sees this human being on the other mountain peak.
He was in a robe and sandals,
and this long beard,
and he's shouting up at the sky, he's shouting up all... talking,
and he just looks bananas.
And Art was a very smart fox.
He always knew when to listen to his inside voice
if something didn't seem right, just like we talk about.
Yes, yes.
Um, and he took... wrapped up his machine
and he went down the mountain right away to get away from this guy.
And he went back to his hole and he wanted to tell Goldy
about his findings, because if they were accurate,
it meant there was a gigantic storm coming.
And... and Art, more than anybody, hated to...
he hated to get wet and dirty, and he hated when this...
the... their foxhole flooded.
Though Goldy didn't really care that much.
Art hated it, that's why he invented
the weather-predicting machine in the first place.
But Goldy wasn't there.
So he went around looking all over for her,
and he couldn't find her anywhere.
But he did notice that all these crowds
are all moving in the same direction,
all these different animals.
And so he went to see what was going on.
And he kinda got swept up, and he...
he followed them all down to the bay.
And there in the water, huge wooden raft,
really, really big.
And, uh, he thought...
"Oh, that thing is not really built that well."
And just as he was thinking that,
he was sort of swept up in the next crowd of people,
and he got jostled around, and bumped up, boom,
right up against Goldy.
There she was and he said, um, "Where have you been?"
She said, "I've been in line for four hours!"
And he said... She hated lines.
And he said, "In line for what?"
She said, "In a line for the competition."
And he said, "What competition?"
And she said, "The best male and female of each species, of each kind of animal..."
I know what a species is.
"...gets to go on an adventure on that big giant boat,
Noah's ark."
This isn't how Noah's ark goes.
Well, this is my story.
Called "Noah's ark"?
Well, I thought about Noah's ark,
but Noah's ark happens to be in my story.
But this is called "Art's ark."
So he doesn't wanna be left behind,
not because he loves adventures, but he loves Goldy very much
and he knows that just spending time with her
is the way to keep their marriage going.
So he enters the competition, but he's no good.
Instantly, he gets beaten.
Um, because the things that they are having the male foxes do
are all about who's got the biggest muscles,
who's got the shiniest hair or fur, that kind of stuff,
who's got the sharpest fangs,
and that's not really Art's thing.
So he loses.
And Goldy is marched off with another male fox,
and all the other animals, two by two,
onto Noah's ark.
What's his name?
His name was Fang.
And he's sharpened one of his little,
little teeth to make it look like a snarling sharp fang.
So a bunch of humans march all the animals on.
And... including Fang and Goldy, and they're all on the boat,
and then a man walks out, a human,
the same one that had been on the top of the mountain,
and he says...
"G'day, folks, I'm Noah.
How are you?" "How are you? Good day.
G'day, folks. How are you?"
And people were just staring,
all the animals were staring at him.
He keeps saying, "How are you? Good day, g'day.
Hey, good on you."
He says,
"Hey, you are the chosen ones, all right?"
"Take you out to the chosen ones' farm.
Goin' to the farm where all the chosen ones are. G'day. How are you?"
"How are you? G'day."
He gets on.
And then he goes down below,
and the boat starts to drift off from the shore.
And Art's standing there, miserable,
watching Goldy leave, and Goldy blows him a kiss,
"I'll be back in a week!
I'll see you in a week, I love you!"
Boom!
Clap of thunder, flash of lightning,
the sky opens up, and just rain comes out of nowhere,
drenching him, he's soaked.
He hates being wet.
He moves back to his foxhole, lays down miserable,
he falls asleep, and he has this dream,
and in the dream, Goldy's on the deck of the boat,
and the boat's being tossed around,
and she's yelling, "Help! Help!"
And Art wakes up, and his hole is full of water,
water sloshing all around, and he goes, "Help!"
He yells "help," himself, out loud.
And he jumps out of the hole.
He sees that the whole valley's flooded. It's like a giant mudslide.
And he realizes that Noah must have read...
predicted the weather too.
He didn't make some fun cruise, he was making a life raft.
And that everyone who was left behind was gonna die.
But Art was the only one
who knew this second bit of information,
that that boat was not made that well
and everyone on Noah's ark was gonna die too
because it was gonna fall apart.
And so he knew there was only one thing for him to do.
He had to make his own ark.
Art's ark. Art's ark!
Art's ark.
So he gets... He can't do it alone,
so he gets his old friend the beaver...
Bob the Beaver.
And Bob is kind of an old...
He was an old beaver, he'd been around forever.
And his story's amazing,
which I'll tell you another night.
Bob's incredible. Genius.
And so he gets Bob the Beaver, and they build this boat,
they build Art's ark together.
And they even put this other thing on it
which is this big wooden piece of... a mast,
and they weave these palm fronds together
so it catches the wind and makes them move much faster.
A sail. A sail!
They put the first... they build... They make the first sail.
Art invented the sail!
Art was amazing.
So, it zooms up really quickly and it catches Noah's ark.
And sure enough, it's being tossed,
taking on water, it's...
it's basically about to fall apart.
And the sharks are circling, and their mouths are salivating.
They can't wait to eat all those animals.
And all the animals on Noah's ark are panicking.
And there's land on the horizon,
but Noah can't just steer there, 'cause he didn't put a...
he didn't put a rudder on, he didn't do anything.
I mean that was... Art's a real... he's an artist, a craftsman.
I mean, he built the thing. You know what I mean?
And, uh, Noah's was just a floating bunch of planks,
and they were coming apart.
And so, quickly, Art throws a lasso around, the, uh...
the bow of Noah's ark,
pops the sail, pulls them out of the eye of the storm,
onto the land.
All the animals get off.
And, you know, Noah walks out too.
He goes... "I've saved ya. See that? I saved ya."
He goes, "I've saved you all. You're all my children now.
G'day. How are ya? How are ya? G'day."
And Art doesn't care if he takes the credit.
He just wanted to be with Goldy, save everyone's life,
he saves the whole animal kingdom, and he doesn't take any credit.
He just walks off and makes a new foxhole,
uh, with Goldy.
And he's so happy to be back with her.
And she never questioned his devices after that.
And he always let her, you know,
make a bit of a mess in the hole.
They really appreciated each other more after this.
And... and also, from then on, foxes, uh, were not known
for being you know, having beefy muscles
and long, flowy fox hair.
They were known for being clever and courageous animals.
The end.
You said it was gonna be about Goldy,
and then it was about Art.
Yeah, well, Goldy's story is just... is more complicated.
And that's a whole other story.
Was there really two of every species?
'Cause that seems unlikely.
That does seem unlikely.
I can't believe I missed that.
What a bunch of bunk.
He must have made that whole thing up
about Noah's ark.
Unlikely.
Well, sometimes stories are made up, right?
That's right.
Some stories are just made up.
I'm the only girl of my species.
No, you're not.
There are others.
I'm the only one I ever saw.
Mmm...
Yeah, well, you'll get older, and there'll be more,
and you'll meet them.
And would they know I'm a girl?
Well, they'll know if you let them know.
Rag?
What?
What are you doing?
I'm reading.
Alligator.
A-L-L-I-G-A-T-O-R.
Okay. Charcoal.
- Seriously? - Too easy?
Yes, it's charcoal.
Okay, relax. Too easy.
Uh, narcissistic.
N-A-R-C-I-S-S-I-S-T-I-C.
Wow, that's pretty good.
Centrifugal. Centrifugal.
Dad. What?
What's the difference between morals and ethics?
Well, a moral's an idea...
hmm, about right and wrong.
And ethics are how those morals apply to specific situations,
like it's wrong to kill someone,
but if they're gonna kill ten other people,
is it okay to kill him?
I don't know why I use killing as an example, it's very...
Pretty violent, but it's kind of an...
uh, obvious moral.
This... this guy Luke, in my book,
he has really bad morals and ethics.
Both. Huh.
How is he immoral and unethical?
'Cause he's really bad.
He lies to protect himself, and then he doesn't lie
when he could lie to not break Lilly's heart.
I understand that.
What do you think he would say to defend his own choices?
Um...
Uh, well, maybe he feels bad about lying the first time.
And so he doesn't lie the second time,
even though that would be the right ethic.
Uh-huh.
So he would defend his choice by saying
that he learned lying was wrong,
so now he wants to always tell the truth.
Okay.
So he would be right morally but not ethically.
Eat these.
Hey, get down.
Stay here.
Why? Because I said so.
- Stay here. - Okay.
Can I help you, sir? Oh, Jesus.
I heard some noises from over a ways.
I see. This is my camp.
These are my things.
I didn't know anyone was back in this part.
I'm not really back here, I'm just passing through.
Uh-huh.
It's just me and an old army buddy of mine. He's hunting at the moment.
Uh-huh.
Can I help you? No.
No, I... I'm just pokin' around.
Uh-huh.
And who have we here?
That's my s... This is my son.
Oh, what's your name?
My son, Alex.
Alex.
And how old are you?
Eleven. Just, uh...
Eleven! Yeah, 11.
Well, what are you reading?
Just a book.
It looks good.
Comely boy.
Thanks.
We aren't looking for any more company, sir.
Yeah, I bet.
Well, I will be on my way then.
Oh, if I see your buddy, I will say hello.
I told you to stay hiding.
Pack your things.
Are we moving? Yes.
Now? Yes.
'Cause of him? Yes.
He's a doddering old man.
Him and everyone he knows.
Is this a red alert?
No, but I would like to move sort of quickly.
Why didn't you say I was your son like we usually do?
I did say you were my son.
Instead of making me hide and saying you had a buddy?
Okay, Rag, I'll give you an answer to that
when I have some time to think about it.
Right now, I need you to gather your things.
Rag, I don't know why you came out of your hiding spot.
You've never done that before.
You've got to listen to my instructions when I give them.
Rag? Okay.
Now, the answer to your question...
Well, when you asked me the question, I said, you know,
"Because I said so," and that's not kind,
it's unfair, you deserve to have an answer.
And I should have given you an answer,
but I couldn't in that moment.
It's okay.
I knew why.
The man?
Yes, the man.
But... Well, yes, the man. Period.
But, anyway, the... the answer to your q...
Rag? Rag? How do you know where you're going?
Northwest.
I know which direction we're supposed to be going,
but how do you know which direction northwest is?
'Cause you told me a million times and it's really easy...
But if you're looking at your book,
and you're walking, and you're trying to listen to me,
how do you know you're gonna go in the right direction?
'Cause it's not that hard to read, listen, and walk in a straight line.
Really? Okay, show me your compass.
Okay, fine.
Do you think that man was immoral?
Immoral? Um, maybe, but... I don't know.
I don't know him, so I don't know,
and our rule is better safe than sorry.
Well, I don't know anybody.
What do you mean you don't know anybody?
I don't know anybody.
All I know is you.
Well, you knew that... those boys at the barn
and you knew their father.
Not really.
What do you mean "not really"?
Well, we only knew them for three days.
Well...
Yeah. But, uh...
I mean, well...
you know me.
I don't know what more you could possibly ask for.
Do you know how much I love you?
To the sun and back.
To the sun and back 30,000 times.
And it's not even our sun.
It's a sun in a distant galaxy.
And we're taking a very slow spaceship.
It takes a very, very long time.
And there's a lot of headwind.
It's quite a trip.
How much do you love me?
Like, to the top of a tree.
What?
And... and back down.
Dad? Yeah, I'm here.
My stomach hurts a little.
Here, can you drink this?
Charcoal? Yeah.
You know, there's a reason that vomit smells bad.
What we ate?
Uh, well, no, not exactly.
That's part, but I just...
The reason is so that other people
won't go near it and they won't get sick.
That's evolution at work.
Am I gonna die?
No, babe, you always say that, and you always get better.
You're not gonna die.
Do I have the plague?
No, you don't have the plague.
Do you remember when I explained immunity to you?
You're immune.
If you were gonna get the plague,
you would have had it when you were very, very little.
And people vomit for all kinds of reasons,
and all it means is that your body is doing what it's supposed to do.
I mean, but you got to get rid of it in the bowl
and not in the tent.
So when you feel like you're gonna vomit,
you have to say, "I need the bowl, I need the bowl."
Or else get outside.
She's asleep.
No rash, no fever, nothing.
Babe, I don't think that you should just give up.
It's not giving up, it's just letting go.
Okay.
Well, I don't want you to let go.
Well, I don't wanna die on a cot
in an overcrowded field hospital
being treated to by volunteers with no cure.
You don't know that.
You don't know that's what's gonna happen.
Can we check it out?
No, somebody could be living there.
Really?
Yes, really.
Doesn't look like it.
There's vines all over it.
Please?
Hello!
Wait here.
Take your whistle out.
Okay.
Okay, take off your pack.
You can go up.
There's bedrooms with beds.
I know.
Look at this.
Voilà!
This is better than the barn and the greenhouse.
You think so? Mm-hmm.
Can we stay?
No, this is somebody else's house.
Well, so was the greenhouse.
Not really.
But, Dad, no one's using it.
Rag, I know it would be nice to be in a house again.
But a house is a place that other people come to eventually, especially...
So what? It's fine.
...a house like this. It's not fine.
It's just as fine as in the woods. We saw that guy in the woods...
It's more likely that someone comes across...
And that was in the middle of nowhere.
It's just as likely that someone finds us camping there.
We don't know if that man followed us or if he told someone about us.
Well, why would he? Because he knew.
Also, this is closer to town,
which means that it's closer to other people.
I don't think it's a safe place to be.
Well, we won't be any farther away from the town
if we make a camp.
It is more likely that someone comes here...
than to some random place in the woods
where we put a tent, because this is a house.
I'm not gonna be surprised by people like we were
at the greenhouse.
Dad, the house is covered in dust.
That means that no one ever comes here.
If they did, we could be carefully prepared for it,
and we could leave immediately like we always do, with the red alert.
And we can play hide-and-seek inside.
And name the different rooms like at the pond house.
Okay.
Well, we can stay for a few days.
For a few days?
Yeah, for a few days or not at all.
Okay, fine, for a few days.
- Dad. - What?
Did you see that room upstairs? Yes, I saw it.
The one with the toys and everything?
I saw it.
Hi.
You are awesome. You are awesome.
Oh, shh. Shh, shh, shh.
Rag?
Get your emergency bag, I'll show you the safe spot.
Hey, Rag.
It all fits.
Wow.
Take that off. Take it off.
Come downstairs.
I wasn't even leaving the room.
Are you kidding me?
Did I just tell you to take all those clothes off?
Do you think it's a joke?
Rag, I know new clothes are exciting,
but you should know better than to put those on.
It's just a jacket. It's not just a jacket!
It's got sparkly things all over it!
Rag, hurry up.
Are you sulking?
Are you gonna sulk?
Put it in the hiding spot.
Okay, so where's the emergency bag?
There. And where's there?
In the fallen tree.
Sure are a lot of fallen trees around here.
What side of the house is it on?
The kitchen side.
What? What? What?
Dad! What, what, what?
Tell me! What?
Is that a child?
I think it's a mother and a daughter, but it's hard to tell.
All right.
She's my size.
Don't look at them too much.
It's okay.
Hi. Want some water?
Yes.
What are you thinkin'?
When do you think they died?
Seven or eight years ago.
How old would the kid be?
Maybe 18 years old.
They were like...
skeletons.
They were like skeletons.
But that won't be us anytime soon.
How do you know?
Well, because... we're not gonna get sick.
And because we have long lives to live.
Then why do we have to have all the red alerts and...-
Just because people aren't getting sick anymore
doesn't mean that the world is completely...
right again.
When will it be right again?
When it's balanced.
When will it be balanced?
When there are more women.
Why can't men keep it balanced?
'Cause they were scared, and sad, and lonely,
and that made them angry, and when they were angry,
they lost sight of everything that was important
and good in life.
What's important and good in life?
Well, it's different for everybody.
But I think that love is most important and good.
Loving other people, and letting them love you, and...
I think stories are important and good
because they connect us to other people,
and they make the world seem like a bigger place.
And they're fun to tell.
But not all men are sad, and lonely, and angry.
No, not all men.
But we don't know who, it's hard to tell who, so...
We stay away.
Yep, but just for now, not forever.
And you know what?
I kind of like it, just you and me.
Yeah, me too.
Are we leaving?
Hi.
No.
So, we're staying?
We can stay a little bit longer.
Then what are you doing? I'm storing.
Why?
We don't leave our belongings sitting around at camp.
We're not gonna leave 'em sitting around in the house.
So get your belongings together.
Put them in storage, get your day pack.
And please put on your own clothes.
Where are we going? We're going to town.
- Really? - Yes.
Are we going all the way to the shed?
No.
The library? If we can.
If we aren't going to the library, I wanna stay here.
Rag, please put on your town hat and take off the jacket.
I'm not walking there,
and I'm not wearing that stupid hat.
You know, there are some things you get to decide
and there are some things that you don't.
Well, what do I decide?
You get to decide what kinda attitude you're gonna have
when you have to do things that you don't wanna do.
He's young.
Yeah, he was just a newborn when it happened.
Well, it's nice to see a little guy around.
Uh-huh.
Probably not the youngest anymore.
They're making little girl babies in a laboratory in California.
Probably a lot more in China.
Hey, you like little yellow China dolls?
Is that a "no"? You're shy, aren't you?
He hasn't made up his mind yet.
Thank you very much.
No worries.
How tall am I?
Hmm, seven or eight feet.
Really.
Four feet, nine inches.
My legs aren't long enough.
Well, what makes you say that?
A woman's legs are supposed to be half her body length.
Uh, what?
That's what it said in the news.
What news?
This.
Did you get this from the library?
Yeah.
Those magazines are full of lies, kid.
They lie about who people are
and what they're supposed to be like.
But it said "scientists say."
Anybody can call themself a scientist,
and anyone can write anything they want in a magazine.
Do you know how long a woman's legs are really supposed to be?
How long? Long enough to reach the ground.
Do your legs reach the ground?
Yeah.
Well, then they're perfect.
When we were in town and that man asked you a question,
did you know what he was talking about?
Sort of.
Babies aren't grown in laboratories.
They are made, uh...
when a man and a woman,
who love each other,
uh, put their bodies together in a special way
and it makes the woman pregnant.
Sex.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Was that something that you read about in a book?
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
I feel like I should be reading the books that you're reading,
so I know what kinds of things you're learning,
because I didn't think that you were reading books about things like that...
It's fine.
Okay, well...
Did this book, uh...
Anyway, uh, it's just science.
So I'll just explain it, because it's not that big of a deal.
So, uh, babies are made by, uh, men and women who are in love.
And they, uh, put their bodies together
in a special way, 'cause they're all grown up.
And, um, that results in a baby
growing in the woman's belly.
And a baby grows for 40 weeks or so
in, uh, a womb.
Uh, it's called a "womb,"
which is a nice safe place for a baby to grow.
Uh, and that's in a woman's belly.
And then it comes out of her, uh, vagina, and, um...
Um, so those are body parts that you have too.
Uh, but you're a child, and so they're different.
And they'll... uh, until you're older, and you grow up,
and those body parts will change, uh,
in a phase of your life that's called, uh, "puberty."
And, um...
It might feel funny when you're growing a lot.
It makes your body, uh, change a lot.
But it's totally normal, and everyone goes through it,
and it's very safe.
And, so...
what that man was saying about yellow China dolls
is that, you know, he was saying
"young Chinese girls," that's what he was saying.
Sometimes people will talk about the color of other people's skin...
in a way that is sort of putting them down...
or just out of habit, uh, or both.
Um, and it's one way that people have of being mean
even though there is no one skin color
that's any better than another skin color.
Uh, or they'll say about girls, they'll call them "dolls,"
like they're just little dolls in a doll house,
not human beings.
Uh, and it's a way of putting girls down
without, uh, well, sort of while you're pretending to be nice.
Um...
So that's what that was about.
And one more thing about puberty, uh, also,
is just that, uh, it... that happens when you're, uh,
you sort of get like a, uh...
Yeah, like a sort of... like a... you get like a, um...
Well, like a little bloody nose
and it comes, uh, from where you pee, uh,
and that's totally normal, and it's totally safe,
and, uh, it's just not... not happening to you yet.
But you can just tell me when that does happen to you,
and, uh, you know, just so I know.
Uh, and your mother had that, and, um, it's...
uh, it doesn't mean that you are hurt,
it just means that your body is working the way that it's supposed to work.
So it's a sort of normal function
and, uh, not a big deal.
All right, drink up.
Are you mad at me?
No.
You know I love you more than anything in the whole world?
What about Mom?
I love her too.
I love her a lot.
How can you love someone that you never see?
That's a good question.
Maybe you can miss them, and remember them,
and still love them.
Well, I don't remember her.
But you're connected to her still,
and you have her in your imagination.
I don't.
I don't have Mom in my imagination.
All I have is... is one tiny scratched-up picture.
I have no idea what she's like.
Rag, you had the best mom in the whole world.
The best.
How was she the best?
Because she loved you more than anything.
So much.
She was so fun.
And she could get along with anybody.
How was she so fun?
Well, let's see.
She loved adventures.
So we traveled a lot, just like you and I do.
And she only ever called it a love adventure.
Anytime we took a trip, it was a love adventure.
I'd say, "Where are we gonna go?"
She'd say, "I don't know.
It's a love adventure, you and me."
And then we'd go somewhere,
and it'd be the most perfect trip ever.
Everything would just be perfect.
And I would never want it to end.
And then it would and she'd say, "Wow. That was a love adventure."
And then we'd go on a trip, and then everything would go wrong,
it'd be terribly wrong, the worst trip you can imagine.
We'd get a flat tire just on the way there,
and then break a tool fixing the flat tire,
and then broke a bone fixing the tool
fixing the flat tire.
And then she would say, "Wow. It's a love adventure, you and me."
We got a flat tire once.
Oh man, that was no fun.
You were so mad.
I was. I was frustrated.
I didn't wanna be on that road.
I bet she was a better cook than you.
What?
No. Mm-hmm. Yes.
You have no idea what you're talking about.
Until you've tasted the food cooked by your mother,
you'll never know what "inedible" really means.
It's like a salt extravaganza.
It's like eating a pile of salt with your face.
You have to tell her about me, okay?
Yes.
But you can't just tell her all the good things,
you're gonna have to tell her everything.
- Okay? - Okay, okay.
Also, can you tell her that I love her?
Of course, of course.
And that I really wanted to be her mom.
And I'm really sorry that I just couldn't.
Hey. Get over in there. What? Who is it?
What? What is it?
Stay in here and don't come out until I come and get you.
Yeah, what do you want?
We ran out of gas. Do you have any?
No, we don't.
Can we come in for a second?
For what?
To dry off.
No, I'm sorry, my brothers are sleeping,
and they don't want anybody in the house.
Hey, were you in town with the little kid yesterday?
We don't have children. You have the wrong house.
Come on out.
All right, go. Run.
Turn that off.
Who were they?
They were just looking for somebody else.
They were looking for me 'cause I'm a girl.
Yes.
Then why'd you say that they were looking for someone else?
I meant that they were looking for someone that they thought they could take.
They can't take you...
because you're...
You're careful.
Where would they take me?
They're not gonna take you anywhere, because they can't find you.
But where would they?
I don't know.
All I know is that they were dangerous people.
But we're safe together.
That's enough to know, okay?
What if someone hurt you?
People have hurt me.
I mean like... like hurt you bad.
Then I would stop them.
And I would try not to hurt them back,
even though I'd be very mad at them.
But no matter what...
no one's gonna take you away, I promise.
Okay?
What if they tied you up and then knock you down and stab you?
Well, then I'll get up, and I'll get free,
and I'll keep being your dad.
What if they kill you?
Then I'll be dead.
And you'll be alive.
Until you're dead.
And then we'll be together.
And no matter what... I'll always be with you.
Even if you can't see me, you can't hear me...
I'm always with you.
What would happen to me?
You would take very good care of yourself and you'd be fine.
Because you're... very tough.
I'm tough?
You're extremely tough, yes.
How?
Because you're careful and you're persistent.
That's how.
And because you're smart
and you listen to your inside voice.
But I'm not tougher than grown-ups.
Most grown-ups give up very easily.
I've known a lot of people.
And if they were able to get by somehow,
then you can get by too,
because you're much tougher than they are.
But if you die, I'll just be alone.
I am not gonna die.
Nobody's gonna kill me.
I'm not gonna leave you.
Even if someone...
tied me up and stabbed me and knocked me down
and put me in a block of ice
and dropped me in the bottom of the ocean.
I would get out, and I would come find you.
And we'd just keep on the way we always do.
And if that sounds impossible to you...
I'm sorry, but it's true.
But we only have one sleeping bag
and one emergency bag.
Okay.
You're worried about the things that we left behind, right?
And you're worried about those men.
You don't have to worry about those men.
They're long gone.
And I don't want you to think about the stuff that we left behind.
I want you to think about the stuff that we have
and how we can be better prepared in the future.
Okay?
Okay.
Rag.
What?
We've got a lot of walking to do.
Where are we going?
You remember my grandmother's house
where I lived when I was young?
No.
Well that's where we're gonna go. It's up in the mountains.
They've got animals there, and they've got sledding,
and they've got a boat with a lake,
and it's really far away from everyone.
So I think it's gonna be really...
I mean, a really nice place.
How long will it take?
Gonna be a lot of walking.
How many days? I don't know how many days.
Well, what do you think?
I think it'll be a lot of days,
but we're gonna get there before it gets too, too cold.
So if we can find some other faster way than walking,
we'll take that.
Why didn't we go before?
Because we didn't want to travel that far,
and because we didn't wanna be away from...
all the places that we knew that were safe and where we can get things.
But we're done with this area now,
so we're gonna move on.
Because of me.
What?
Never mind.
Stop. Stop.
Come on. Stop.
Okay. Hey, kiddo!
Kiddo.
Come on.
Can you give us a ride?
Ain't seen a boy that young in a while.
You know, most people say that to me, and I'm 19.
Uh-huh. He was born right when it happened.
Where are you from?
Farther south.
Yeah, we got some from all over. 103 of us.
Oh, yeah?
You all live there?
Yeah.
Kinda make our own way, you know,
food, power, and everything.
I mean, we really have everything you'd need...
including females.
- Oh yeah? - Yeah.
I seen 'em a lot when I was younger.
I used to stock the bunker.
That's the name of the place where the females live.
Yeah, I bring 'em supplies, but I'd, you know,
I'd also sneak 'em little things like coffee,
and you know, cigarettes, and chocolate, whatever.
I mean, they were really nice.
Hold 'em pretty tight, huh?
Yeah, they do not leave the bunker.
And, uh, you know, I'm not telling you anything that I shouldn't be,
because everyone knows that they're there.
They just can't get into the compound.
Hey, stop the car.
Stop the car for a second, man.
There was someone back there on the road, on the ground. Stop the car.
Where is he?
I didn't see anything.
What?
I'm gonna take your car.
What do you mean, man?
And you're gonna walk from here,
and you're gonna be fine, okay?
Why should I walk?
Because you aren't gonna fight me.
And you don't have a choice.
And I don't have a choice.
And I know you can't understand that, but I'm taking the car.
What... why...
You'll be fine.
I can't explain it.
You helped those women out. You helped 'em out.
You snuck them things. You look after them.
You brought them...
Their coffee and their... That's different!
...cigarettes and all those treats. You're a good person.
I can't just give it to you, man.
You helped 'em out. You're gonna help us out. I can't explain.
Please!
Stay there. Wait, come on, man! You...
We left him?
He's gonna be okay.
Take all your wet clothes off.
Where are we going?
Same place.
What's a bunker?
It's a kind of shelter.
Who is it? Hello, hello!
Hello, is Mark there?
No, there's no Mark.
Can we come in? We're very cold.
I've got a little child here.
What do you want? I've got a child.
May we come in and get warm for one minute?
Thank you.
I'm Tom.
This is Calvin.
Hi. And this is Lemmy.
Hi.
I'm Caleb, this is my son, Alex.
And we're just heading home.
This was my, uh, grandparents' house.
That's why I came here a little bit when I was...
young.
It was abandoned when we found it.
Would have fallen apart without us,
and it's been our home for four years.
I understand.
If there's someplace else you need to go, we'll...
we'll help you out there.
Or you're welcome to stay the night.
Okay, thanks.
You got a weapon?
No.
Find that hard to believe.
It's all right.
How's the little fellow feeling?
Okay.
Okay, well, I'm gonna get you set up.
You can stay.
Do we have a safe spot?
Not yet.
If we need to, we're gonna go out the window,
and we're gonna go onto the ledge and into the snow below.
And from there, you go all the way to the tree line
right behind the fence, you understand?
Are we gonna leave in the morning?
Tell me what we do.
We go out the window.
Now, are we gonna leave in the morning?
Tell me what we're gonna do.
We're gonna go out the window...
Shh!
And then what?
Then onto the ledge and then to the snow?
Yes.
And then what?
Then we find our way to the tree line.
Which tree line? The tree line that circles.
The tree line behind the fence.
Backpack.
Sleeping bag.
"And one lamb out of the flock, out of 200,
out of the fat pastures of Israel.
And it shall be the prince's part
to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings,
and drink offerings, in the feasts,
and in the new moons, and in the Sabbaths,
in all solemnities of the house of Israel,
he shall prepare the sin offering,
and the meat offering, and the burnt offering,
and the peace offering,
to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
Thus sayeth the Lord God, in the first month,
in the first day of the month..."
Okay, hey, Rag, Rag, Rag.
What is it?
Get dressed for outside.
Are we leaving?
No, but we need to be quiet, so we don't wake anyone.
Come on.
I'm gonna put your bag under this pot.
Okay.
Rag, where is your bag?
Under the pot.
Okay. How did we get here?
Past the animals,
along the fence line to the fallen tree.
Okay.
Who is it okay to tell about this place?
I know.
It's like every other safe spot.
Answer me.
Okay, Dad, it's like every safe spot that we have...
Rag, just answer me!
Nobody.
Okay.
Now, I want you to show me how to get back.
Hey.
You were up early.
We woke up, we didn't want to, uh,
wake anybody, so we just took a walk around.
How'd it look?
- Looked nice. - Yeah.
Looks good.
Would you like something to eat?
We have more than we know what to do with.
Yes, please. That would be great.
Thank you.
Hey, we have some clothes in the attic
that might fit you.
Okay.
Thank you.
Thank you for this.
You're welcome.
It's very good.
You have a lot of people come through, drop by, or...
Most of the men in the area moved to the city.
Some came back.
We don't see anyone
unless we go into town.
Is there a federal dispensary in town?
There's a market.
And if you have papers, they'll honor 'em.
But we've got more than we need already,
and we rarely do any hunting anymore.
Hmm.
You wanna stick around...
"And Jesus said, 'Come and have breakfast.'
And none of the disciples said, 'Who are you?'
Because they knew it was the Lord."
Amen.
Ready?
Whoo-hoo!
That llama will keep the wolves and coyotes away from the sheep.
A few strokes and then you wanna dry it,
so it doesn't get gummed up.
What have you got there?
Standard Winchester, 12 gauge.
I thought you weren't doing any hunting up here.
We don't want the sheep being hunted either.
Dad, it's to keep the wolves away.
Rag, come here.
I guess we put this away right now, huh?
I got another job for you if it's okay with your father.
But I wanna clean it. He showed me how to be careful.
Doesn't matter. They're dangerous to be around, no matter what.
Is that your daughter?
That's my son.
No, what I'm asking you is, is that your daughter?
Sir, that... that's my boy.
Well, I don't know who you are or who she is
or how you came to be with her,
but I've sheltered you for the night.
And I don't wanna have anything to do with evil.
World's seen enough of that.
Okay, well, our things are packed and we'll...
be on our way then.
It's not that simple.
If she's your God-given daughter,
and you are a faithful caretaker,
you better make me know it.
If she isn't, I wanna know
how come you are in possession of her,
and I wanna believe it.
Because I had a wife of 33 years.
I had three girls and four granddaughters
and two step-granddaughters.
And all nine of 'em passed
in the course of a couple weeks.
One of 'em I lost to a pack of monsters.
So if you think that I'm gonna be anything but an upstander,
you ought to know that I don't have a damn thing to live for
but the grace of God.
That is my daughter.
I'm asking you to prove it to me, son.
That's her. That's me and her mother.
Name is Anna Elizabeth Shaw.
We call her Rag, short for Raggedy Ann.
Well, I bet you've had one hell of a time.
Yeah.
Had some good times too.
Would you like a drink?
Whiskey? Gin?
No, thank you. I'm okay.
Have a seat.
I've been hearing about some safe places for women.
There's this one in New York,
and there's one not too far from here.
Yeah.
Uh, I've heard of places like that too.
Not so sure they're as safe as people say, but...
if that's your way of asking us to go, I understand.
No.
Seems to me you've been at this a long time.
I wonder what the toll is.
How it shapes a growing person.
We've had to let go of a lot.
Rag has had the childhood that she's had...
in order to survive.
Maybe if you let go a little bit more and let God...
What does that mean?
Sometimes running from one thing,
you just run into another.
If you stay put,
you have faith, and let God make the plan.
The best thing I ever heard about faith was...
"While you pray, move your feet."
Dad?
How was that?
So hot.
Do you remember Goldy from Art's ark?
Yes.
I think I know what happened to her.
What happened to her?
So when Art had the dream that Goldy was saying "Help,"
she wasn't actually saying "Help,"
she was saying, "Kelp,"
which is a food that grows in the water.
It's... it's real.
And so, she was pointing at the kelp...
for the bird to go get.
And the bird got it for her so she could feed everyone,
feed the llamas, so that they were full,
and they could fight off the wolves.
And then she even fed Fang, because Fang was now her friend.
So he was nice now.
And so, basically, she fixed the boat,
and Art came, and everyone thought
that it was Art who saved the day.
Really, it was Goldy.
That is the most beautiful story I have ever heard.
I got a story for you.
You wanna hear it? Sure.
This is a story about you. Don't freak out.
Okay, fine.
So when you were in Mommy's belly...
we went to the doctor
because that's what you're supposed to do when...
When people are having babies,
you go check in with a doctor sometimes.
And they had this special machine, which you don't know about,
but they can take pictures of a baby inside a mom
through the belly.
Really?
And sometimes, if that baby's old enough in the belly,
they can tell if it's a boy or a girl.
And we went to the doctor, and he was just...
looking around, taking his pictures.
And he said, "Do you wanna know if it's a boy or a girl?"
And I kinda wanted to know, but Mom did not want to know.
She liked surprises.
And so I said yes and she said no.
And so, first, she had her way and we said no.
But the doctor said, "Well, I'm gonna write it down on a piece of paper,
in case you change your mind."
And he wrote it down, and he put it in an envelope,
and he gave it to us.
And we went home.
And I was in bed, and I was thinking about you,
and I did not know if you were a boy or a girl.
And I was thinking about all the stuff
that we'd have to do.
Like do we get boy toys or girl toys
or little boy clothes or little girl clothes.
And I just thought, "Why don't we just find out,
and then we can know, and then we'll be prepared and ready for..."
But I knew that Mom would not wanna know.
But I couldn't take it.
And so I snuck downstairs,
and I went and I found the envelope.
I looked inside, and there was picture of you.
And you were shaped like a little...
You were like a little bean.
That's how big you were.
And on the bottom, the doctor wrote...
"This is your daughter."
And then I went back upstairs.
And, um, then I went to sleep.
I never told Mom.
I love you so much, Anna Elizabeth Shaw.
There are some men outside.
Hey, get up. What, what? What is it?
Listen. Shh. Quiet. It's a red alert.
Now, get up. Listen to me. Be ready to do something.
Be very quiet, you understand? You understand?
Come on. Okay.
Shh!
Shh.
Be quiet. Quiet.
Go back.
I asked you to leave. I want you to get out of here...
- Is it... - Shh.
Dad?
- Dad. - Shh! Shh!
Okay.
Listen to me. This is what we're gonna do.
Here's our plan.
We're gonna go out the window. We have to get outside.
So I'll lower you down onto the porch...
below the roof.
Okay? Okay?
And then we're gonna go to the safe spot
as quietly and quickly as we can, okay?
That's our plan, okay?
Okay.
They're up in the attic.
Okay, put on your jacket.
Come on.
Put your arms around me.
Wait. Wait.
Dad, let me go. Shh, quiet.
- Dad. - Hold on.
I can do it. It's too high.
Dad, let me go. No, it's too high.
I'm gonna pull you back up.
No.
Dad!
Dad, let me go. Dad!
Let me go.
Okay.
Rag? Rag?
Ah!
Ah! Ah!
Okay. Okay.
Is that Tom?
Don't look. Don't look.
Don't look. Come on, come on, come on.
Come on.
You have to put your finger... finger in there, take...
Just... You just wait. Wait a... Wait.
Just wait for me.
I'm just gonna rest.
I can't do it without you.
You're gonna be fine.
I can't, I can't. Yes, you can.
I won't.
- Yes, you can. - I can't.
You just gotta keep her close.
And you're gonna figure it out.
I can't. I can't do it without you.
You're gonna have each other.
Rag!
We're gonna go somewhere that's really safe and warm.
Tom told me about a place not too far from here
where there's a bunch of really...
friendly people, and...
it's really...
nice.
It's okay, Dad.
It's a love adventure.